Identifying and predicting food parenting practice profiles among Canadian parents

Authors: TUGAULT-LAFLEUR, CLAIRE - University Of Guelph; DE-JONGH GONZALEZ, OLIVIA - University Of British Columbia; O'CONNOR, TERESIA - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC); HUGHES, SHERYL - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC); MÂSSE, LOUISE - University Of British Columbia

Submitted to: International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/3/2021
Publication Date: 5/4/2021
Citation: Tugault-Lafleur, C.N., De-Jongh Gonzalez, O., O'Connor, T.M., Hughes, S.O., Masse, L.C. 2021. Identifying and predicting food parenting practice profiles among Canadian parents. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 18:59. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-021-01119-6.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-021-01119-6

Interpretive Summary: There has been growing evidence that parents' use of specific food parenting practices can influence their child's eating behaviors. However, parents do not typically use food parenting practices in isolation, but rather in combination. There is a gap in our understanding regarding which food parenting practices parents tend to combine when interacting with their child in the feeding context. The goal of this study was therefore to identify profiles of different food parenting practice combinations used by Canadian parents. A cross-sectional study of 799 Canadian parents whose child was 5-12 year olds. The parent sample include 50% fathers and 50% mothers, and 86% of the parents reported currently being married. Parents completed questionnaires to describe 1) their use of food parenting practices across 11 food parenting constructs (child involvement, autonomy support, rules and limits, meal routines, provide health eating opportunities, redirection, nondirective support, covert control, accommodate the child, coercive control and restriction for weight); 2) their child's eating behavior traits (emotional overeating, food responsiveness, satiety responsiveness and food fussiness) using an established survey; and 3) their sociodemographic information. A special type of analyses called latent class analysis was used to identify groups of parents who reported similar 'high' or 'low' use of the 11 food parenting practice constructs. From these analysis, six profiles were found among the parents based on their use of food parenting practices, representing parents who use either all (high engagement), some (healthy eating environment, reactive, high structure, controlling) or little (low engagement) of the food parenting practices examined. Compared to fathers, mothers were more likely to fall in the healthy eating environment compared to low engagement profile. Parents with higher education were more likely to belong in the healthy eating environment, high structure and reactive profiles compared to the controlling profile. Parent report of their child having emotional overeating and food responsiveness were lowest for parents in the healthy eating environment, high structure, low engagement profiles. Parents in the healthy eating environment profile also reported lower food fussiness scores compared to parents in the high engagement, high structure, reactive and controlling profiles. The findings from this study suggest that researchers and practitioners should consider that parents may simultaneously use a wide variety of food parenting practices and therefore adopt a tailored approach in designing interventions to encourage specific combinations of FPP associated with more healthful dietary behaviors.

Technical Abstract: Food parenting practices (FPP) can affect children's eating behaviours, yet little is known about how various FPP co-occur. The primary aim was to identify profiles of FPPs use among Canadian parents. Secondary aims included examining sociodemographic correlates of FPP profiles and evaluating whether children's eating behaviours differed across FPP profiles. Parents (n=799) of 5–12-year-old children completed a validated FPP Item Bank and the Children's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire. Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was used to identify distinct FPP profiles. Regression analyses were used to explore associations between FPP profiles, sociodemographic variables (race, sex and education) and children's eating behaviours (emotional overeating, food responsiveness, food fussiness and satiety responsiveness). LCA revealed 6 FPP profiles: healthy eating environment, high engagement, reactive, high structure, controlling and low engagement. Relative to their non-White counterparts, White parents were more likely to belong in the healthy eating environment, high structure and low engagement profiles. Relative to fathers, mothers were more likely to fall in the healthy eating environment compared to low engagement profile. Parents with some post-secondary education were more likely to belong in the healthy eating environment, high structure and reactive profiles compared to the controlling profile. Emotional overeating and food responsiveness scores were lowest for healthy eating environment, high structure, low engagement profiles. Parents in the healthy eating environment profile also reported lower food fussiness scores compared to parents in the high engagement, high structure, reactive and controlling profiles. Findings suggest that a continuum of 6 FPP profiles may be present among Canadian parents, representing parents who use either all (high engagement), some (healthy eating environment, reactive, high structure, controlling) or little (low engagement) of the FPP examined. Future longitudinal research should evaluate how various FPP profiles influence the development of children's eating behaviors, dietary intakes and weight status.