Parenting beliefs and practices contributing to overweight and obesity in children

Abstract

Objectives: To describe the beliefs and practices which South Australian mothers hold in relation to feeding children, and to determine if specific food-related practices were associated with child overweight/obesity. Methods: Data were obtained from 300 mothers and their 9-year-old children who were participants in the Generation 1 cohort study. An exploratory factor analysis of 10 questionnaire items on food-related practices was undertaken. Children were classified as normal weight or overweight/obese according to International Obesity Task Force criteria. Results: The final factor solution suggested three subscales, which we labelled Lenience, Influence and Firmness. For the Lenience subscale there was a significant difference between maternal mean scores by child body mass index categories (normal weight mean 13.4, Standard Deviation (SD) 2.2; overweight/obese mean 14.1, SD 1.9, P = 0.04). There was no significant difference in the mean scores for the Influence subscale or the Firmness subscale by child BMI categories. Conclusions: This study found that mothers who followed more lenient food practices were less likely to have a child who was overweight/obese. This unexpected finding raises further questions about food-related practices that contribute to overweight and obesity in children.