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. 2012 Feb;58(1):347-53.
doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2011.11.005. Epub 2011 Nov 10.

Parental feeding practices and socioeconomic status are associated with child adiposity in a multi-ethnic sample of children

Michelle Cardel  1 , Amanda L Willig, Akilah Dulin-Keita, Krista Casazza, T Mark Beasley, José R Fernández
Affiliations

Parental feeding practices and socioeconomic status are associated with child adiposity in a multi-ethnic sample of children

Michelle Cardel et al. Appetite. 2012 Feb.

Abstract

Parental feeding practices have been associated with children's weight status, but results have been inconsistent across populations. Research is needed to elucidate the relationship between parental feeding practices and adiposity in diverse populations. The present study tested if: (1) parental feeding practices differed by race/ethnicity, (2) parental pressure to eat and parental restriction were associated with adiposity levels, and (3) to investigate the relationship between parental feeding practices and/or child adiposity with socioeconomic status (SES). Structural equations modeling was conducted to test the model in 267 children aged 7-12 years self-identified as African American (AA), European American (EA), or Hispanic American (HA) from economically diverse backgrounds. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and computed tomography scanning were used to determine body composition and abdominal fat distribution, respectively. Parental restriction was a significant predictor of child adiposity while parental pressure to eat had an inverse relationship with child adiposity. HA parents reported significantly higher levels of restriction and pressure to eat, whereas EA parents reported the lowest. SES was positively associated with child adiposity and inversely related to parental restriction and pressure to eat. Thus, parental feeding practices differ across racial/ethnic groups and SES and may contribute to population differences in child adiposity.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Theoretical model depicting influences of parental feeding practices and socioeconomic status with child adiposity.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mean Parental Feeding Questionnaire Scores by race/ethnicity
Figure 3
Figure 3
Structural equations model investigating the effects of parental feeding practices and socioeconomic status on child adiposity
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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