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Title: Feeding style differences in food parenting practices associated with fruit and vegetable intake in children fromlow-income families

Author
item PAPAIOANNOU, MARIA - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item CROSS, MATTHEW - University Of Houston
item POWER, THOMAS - Washington State University
item LIU, YAN - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item QU, HAIYAN - University Of Alabama
item SHEWCHUK, RICHARD - University Of Alabama
item HUGHES, SHERYL - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)

Submitted to: Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/1/2013
Publication Date: 6/15/2013
Citation: Papaioannou, M.A., Cross, M.B., Power, T.G., Liu, Y., Qu, H., Shewchuk, R.M., Hughes, S.O. 2013. Feeding style differences in food parenting practices associated with fruit and vegetable intake in children fromlow-income families. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 45:643-651.

Interpretive Summary: Consuming fruits and vegetables is an important component of the child's diet and has been negatively associated with overweight and obesity. Focusing on food parenting behaviors that promote child fruit and vegetable intake may help to reduce child overweight, in part because eating fruits and vegetables have been linked to increased satiety, reduced hunger, and lower energy consumption. This study provides a better understanding on how parents' feeding styles and practices affect children's feeding. Overall, the results of this study show that there is a moderating effect of parents' feeding styles on the relationship between the food parenting practices and their children's fruit and vegetable intake. More specifically, depending on the food parenting practice that indulgent parents reported using, the fruit and vegetable intake of their children changed. This finding is of particular interest because indulgent parents are shown to have children with higher weight. The results extend previous literature and provide a stepping stone for future research to design successful and efficacious interventions for improving child dietary intake and weight status in young children.

Technical Abstract: The objective of this study was to examine the moderating effects of feeding styles on the relationship between food parenting practices and fruit and vegetable intake in low-income families with preschool-aged children. Focus group meetings with Head Start parents were conducted by using the nominal group technique. Parents completed information on food parenting practices and feeding styles. Three dietary recalls were collected on each child. Parents completed measures in Head Start centers and/or over the telephone. The participants were made up of 667 parents of preschool-aged children. It was determined that the indulgent feeding style moderated the relationship between food parenting practices and child fruit and vegetable intake. This study indicates that parents' feeding styles have a moderating effect on the relationship between the food parenting practices and children's fruit and vegetable intake. This finding can facilitate the development of interventions aimed at reducing childhood overweight.