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Firm maternal parenting associated with decreased risk of excessive snacking in overweight children

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Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

To examine the relationship between parent feeding practices (restriction, monitoring, pressure to eat), general parenting behaviors (acceptance, psychological control, firm control), and aberrant child eating behaviors (emotional eating and excessive snacking) among overweight and normal weight children.

Methods

Overweight and normal weight children between 8 and 12 years old and their mothers (n = 79, parent–child dyads) participated in this study. Mothers completed surveys on parent feeding practices (Child Feeding Questionnaire) and child eating behaviors (Family Eating and Activity Habits Questionnaire). Children reported on their mothers’ general parenting behaviors (Child Report of Parent Behavior Inventory). Parent and child height and weight were measured and demographic characteristics assessed. Logistic regression models, stratified by child weight status and adjusting for parent BMI, were used to determine which parenting dimensions and feeding practices were associated with child emotional eating and snacking behavior.

Results

Overweight children displayed significantly more emotional eating and excessive snacking behavior than normal weight children. Mothers of overweight children used more restrictive feeding practices and psychological control. Restrictive feeding practices were associated with emotional eating in the overweight group (OR = 1.26, 95 % CI, 1.02, 1.56) and excessive snacking behavior in the normal weight group (OR = 1.13, 95 % CI, 1.01, 1.26). When examining general parenting, firm control was associated with decreased odds of excessive snacking in the overweight group (OR = 0.51, 95 % CI, 0.28, 0.93).

Conclusion

Restrictive feeding practices were associated with aberrant child eating behaviors in both normal weight and overweight children. Firm general parenting however, was associated with decreased snacking behavior among overweight children. Longitudinal studies following children from infancy are needed to better understand the direction of these relationships.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by a Grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Grant K23HD057299 to Kyung Rhee.

Conflict of interest

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0874, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA

    Kyung E. Rhee, Kerri N. Boutelle & Richard Barnes

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0874, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA

    Kerri N. Boutelle

  3. Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 196 Richmond Street, Providence, RI, 02903, USA

    Elissa Jelalian & Rena R. Wing

  4. Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Bradley Hasbro Children’s Research Center, 1011 Veterans Memorial Parkway, East Providence, RI, 02915, USA

    Susan Dickstein

  5. Division of General Academic Pediatrics, Child Development and Community Health, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0874, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA

    Kyung E. Rhee

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  1. Kyung E. Rhee
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Correspondence to Kyung E. Rhee.

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Rhee, K.E., Boutelle, K.N., Jelalian, E. et al. Firm maternal parenting associated with decreased risk of excessive snacking in overweight children. Eat Weight Disord 20, 195–203 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-014-0164-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-014-0164-x

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