Parents Restrict Children’s Eating, Children Hide Snacks: Longitudinal Dyadic Study.

Abstract

Methods: 200 parent-child dyads participated in this longitudinal study (with a baseline measurement and 6-month follow-up). Self-report measures, such as Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire (Musher-Eizenman i Holub, 2007) were applied, along with objective measures of body weight and fat tissue. Findings: High levels of restrictive practices reported by parents (parental control the child’s food intake and limiting sweets and fatty food intake) were predictive of children’s report of their hiding behavior (hiding eating unhealthy snacks, eating more than allow parents), which in turn was related to unfavorable changes in fat tissue among children. Discussion: Parental who strongly rely on practices aiming at a restriction of specific types of food may promote fat tissue increase, with hiding behavior playing the mediating role.