Relationship Between the Parental Feeding Practices and Healthy and Unhealthy Diet, Body Weight and fat Tissue Among Children; Parent-child Dyads. a Longitudinal Follow-up Study

Abstract

Background: The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between the Parental Feeding Practices and healthy, unhealthy diet, body weight and fat tissue among children. Methods: Parental Practices were assessed with measures by Food Parenting Practices Scale (Vereecken, 2004), Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire (Musher-Eizenman, Holub, 2007), Child Feeding Questionnaire (Birch i in., 2001). The participants were 250 dyads of child (6-11 years) - parent. Data were collected with standardized interviews, questionnaires, and using certified body weight and fat scales. It was a longitudinal 6-monts follow-up study Findings: After controlling for parental body weight, child’s adipose tissue, body mass index and diet relate to following parental practices, reported by both parents e.g. involvement in meal planning/preparation, pressure to consume more food at meals, restriction for weight control , monitoring, stimulation healthy intake, restriction unhealthy intake, encouragement through material reward, permissiveness, and making healthy foods available. Discussion: Accessibility, meals planning and rewarding were the key factors related with body fat tissue.