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ARS Home » Plains Area » Houston, Texas » Children's Nutrition Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #324949
Title: Fundamental constructs in food parenting practices: A content map to guide future research

Author
item VAUGHN, AMBER - University Of North Carolina
item WARD, DIANNE - University Of North Carolina
item FISHER, JENNIFER - Temple University
item FAITH, MYLES - State University Of New York (SUNY)
item HUGHES, SHERYL - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item KREMERS, STEF - Maastricht University
item MUSHER-EIZENMAN, DARA - Bowling Green State University
item O'CONNOR, TERESIA - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item PATRICK, HEATHER - Livehealthier, Inc
item POWER, THOMAS - Washington State University

Submitted to: Nutrition Reviews
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/1/2015
Publication Date: 2/1/2016
Citation: Vaughn, A.E., Ward, D.S., Fisher, J.O., Faith, M.S., Hughes, S.O., Kremers, S.P., Musher-Eizenman, D.R., O'Connor, T.M., Patrick, H., Power, T.G. 2016. Fundamental constructs in food parenting practices: A content map to guide future research. Nutrition Reviews. 74(2):98-117.

Interpretive Summary: The field of food-parenting research has been troubled by inconsistent definitions and terminology across studies. This has caused confusion by some and problems when trying to compare results across projects. An expert group of researchers who study parental influences on child feeding, collaboratively proposed a new framework (content map) for food parenting to help guide future research and provide more consistent terms and definitions for this field of study. The proposed framework has three overarching concepts based on general parenting theories, under which other food-parenting concepts are grouped: coercive control, structure, and autonomy support. Coercive control is defined as food-parenting practices that reflect parental attempts to dominate, pressure, or impose the parent's will on the child. Structure is defined as a parent's organization of the environment to facilitate the child's eating competence via non-coercive means. Autonomy support is defined as involving the child in developmentally appropriate choices, engaging in conversations about rules and boundaries for food, and creating an emotional climate during food interactions in which the child feels valued and accepted by the parent. The literature for each overarching concept and each subsequent food parenting category is narratively reviewed by the experts. This special article hopes to facilitate greater consensus on terminology and cross-study comparison in future research in this field.

Technical Abstract: Although research shows that "food-parenting practices" can impact children’s diet and eating habits, current understanding of the impact of specific practices has been limited by inconsistencies in terminology and definitions. This article represents a critical appraisal of food-parenting practices, including clear terminology and definitions, by a working group of content experts. The result of this effort was the development of a content map for future research that presents 3 overarching, higher-order food-parenting constructs – coercive control, structure, and autonomy support – as well as specific practice subconstructs. Coercive control includes restriction, pressure to eat, threats and bribes, and using food to control negative emotions. Structure includes rules and limits, limited/guided choices, monitoring, meal- and snacktime routines, modeling, food availability and accessibility, food preparation, and unstructured practices. Autonomy support includes nutrition education, child involvement, encouragement, praise, reasoning, and negotiation. Literature on each construct is reviewed, and directions for future research are offered. Clear terminology and definitions should facilitate cross-study comparisons and minimize conflicting findings resulting from previous discrepancies in construct operationalization.