Child weight status: The role of feeding styles and highly motivated eating in children

Authors: PAPAIOANNOU, MARIA - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC); POWER, THOMAS - Washington State University; O'CONNOR, TERESIA - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC); FISHER, JENNIFER - Temple University; MICHELI, NILDA - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC); HUGHES, SHERYL - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)

Submitted to: Children
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/24/2023
Publication Date: 3/4/2023
Citation: Papaioannou, M.A., Power, T.G., O'Connor, T.M., Fisher, J.O., Micheli, N.E., Hughes, S.O. 2023. Child weight status: The role of feeding styles and highly motivated eating in children. Children. 10(3). Article 507. https://doi.org/10.3390/children10030507.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/children10030507

Interpretive Summary: The way parents feed their children affects their long-term health outcomes; however, little is known about how individual differences in child eating may influence how parents feed their children. Children who were highly motivated to eat was found to interact with parental feeding styles in predicting child weight three years later. Unexpectedly, parents whose feeding styles were considered authoritative (described as balanced regarding parental control and autonomy support) predicted higher child weight but only for children who were low on motivation to eat. This is in contrast to the literature on general parenting styles, which has repeatedly found that a balance between parental control and autonomy support (authoritative parenting style) predicts better child outcomes across multiple domains including socio-emotional development, cognitive development, and health outcomes. More research is needed to better understand feeding style approaches to feeding children and child outcomes.

Technical Abstract: Although parental feeding plays an important role in child eating and weight status, high food motivation among children may also be a factor shaping how feeding impacts child weight. This study explored whether individual differences in preschool children’s food motivation interacted with mothers’ feeding styles in predicting subsequent child weight status. Participants included 129 Hispanic Head Start mother/child dyads. Data were collected at ages 4–5 years (Time 1) and 7–9 (Time 3). Staff measured heights/weights and observed children in an eating in the absence of hunger task. Mothers reported on feeding styles/practices and children’s eating behaviors. A principal components analysis derived a measure of highly motivated eating in children. Multiple regressions predicted Time 3 child BMI z-scores. Time 3 BMI z-scores were positively predicted by authoritative and indulgent feeding styles and negatively predicted by monitoring. Since feeding style interacted with highly motivated eating, separate regressions were run for high and low food motivation in children. Unexpectedly, results showed that authoritative feeding positively predicted Time 3 child BMI z-scores only for children showing low levels of food motivation. Characterizing differential parental feeding and child eating phenotypes may assist in tailoring childhood obesity prevention programs for the target populations.