Children's weight status and maternal and paternal feeding practices

Abstract

Child obesity has become a major concern of health researchers. This study explores the association between parental feeding practices and children's weight status. The study also examines whether maternal and paternal feeding practices lead to significantly different children's weight outcomes. By analyzing samples of 312 children (aged 9-11 and 13-15) and their parents, randomly selected from the Houston Metropolitan Statistical Area, the results show that parental feeding practices are linked to children's weight status. The finding that maternal and paternal feeding practices do not have significantly different effects on children's weight highlights an equivalent role of maternal and paternal feeding practices in shaping children's weight status.