To Feed or Let Eat! A Scale of Independence, Exploration, and Family to Measure Baby‐led Weaning as a Complementary Feeding Approach

Background This article reports the development and validation of a measure of parents\u27 use of baby-led weaning (BLW). BLW is a child-centred approach to complementary feeding where the infant is allowed to eat whole foods (rather than purees) and explore a variety of foods and textures. To date, parents\u27 use of BLW has been assessed using either single items or a wide variety of measures. Method In this study, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on independent samples supported three BLW subscales: independence, exploration, and family. Results The final 13-item scale showed adequate fit statistics and good reliability (χ2(62) = 115.02, p \u3c 0.001; CFI = 0.98; TLI = 0.98; RMSEA = 0.05; SRMR = 0.06; exploration a = 0.738; family a = 0.715; independence a = 0.809). In addition, the scale demonstrated good external validity and related in theoretically expected ways to an infant feeding-style measure and parent report of complementary feeding approach. This study was limited as it was mostly white parents, and the scale should be validated on a more diverse sample. Conclusions Future research can use this scale to examine if BLW relates to infant taste preferences, parenting styles, and child eating behaviours to improve child nutrition and health outcomes

Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Well-Being

There is a lack of research in the professions of physical therapy and occupational therapy. To be more specific, the areas of stress and burnout have been topics of research within the healthcare field for medical physicians and nurses, but currently there is little research looking at stress and burnout for physical therapists and occupational therapists. (Anderson 2015; Berry 2019). The current study aims to look at the emotional connections between patients and professions, along with the related emotional stress experienced by these professionals. A survey was administered to 59 physical therapists and occupational therapists for the purpose to give data on the mental and physical stress experienced within these two professions. Major findings from this study revealed connections between the emotional and physical stress of bringing additional work home, connections between the years worked and desire to leave the profession, and the high emotional stress experienced within the profession. Therefore, establishing self-care plans and educational courses to better prepare graduate students within these two professions would be effective in reducing overall stress and burnout

Maternal Feeding Goals and Restaurant Menu Choices for Young Children

Background: Childhood obesity remains a major public health issue. One recent effort to improve the obesogenic environment is mandating that restaurants provide calorie and other nutritional content on menus. Little is known about whether maternal feeding for young children is influenced by calorie disclosure on menus. This study examined (1) whether maternal feeding goals associate with mothers' food selections for their young children and (2) whether mothers change entrée and side selections for their children when calories/fat grams are listed on menus. Methods: One-hundred seventy mothers of children ages of 3?6 years participated in an online survey. Most participants identified as white (76.5%), with a mean BMI of 25.68 (standard deviation=5.94). Mothers were presented two menus (one with and one without calorie/fat information). Results: The goal of feeding for the child's familiarity with the food was significantly associated with mothers' selection of original side dish and entrées, with greater endorsement of this goal associated with choosing high-calorie/-fat sides and entrées. Feeding for natural content was associated with mothers' selection of original entrée, with greater endorsement of this goal associated with choosing low-calorie/-fat entrées. Significantly fewer mothers chose a higher-calorie entrée when there was menu labeling. Conclusions: Maternal feeding goals are associated with mothers' selection of entrée and side dishes on restaurant menus. Results from this study suggest that menu labeling of calories and fat grams may influence entrée choices by mothers. Targeting mothers' feeding goals and labeling restaurant menus may improve the diets of young children.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140340/1/chi.2015.0014.pd

Impact of Stress and Decision Fatigue on Parenting Practices Related to Food and Physical Activity During COVID‐19

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in substantial disruptions to daily functioning and lifestyle behaviours, with negative health consequences for youth. Parents play a large role in their children\u27s health behaviour; yet changes to parenting behaviours during the pandemic related to food and physical activity remain relatively unexplored. The present study is the first to our knowledge to examine specific changes in American parents\u27 parenting behaviours related to food and physical activity during COVID-19, and potential correlates of such changes, including perceived stress and decision fatigue. Methods A total of 140 parents (88.57% female; 88.41% White; 87.59% married; with one to five children) from middle to upper income households completed an online survey assessing demographics, perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale), decision fatigue (Decision Fatigue Scale) and food and activity parenting behaviour changes during COVID-19. Results Overall, a greater proportion of parents engaged primarily in positive (57.14%) than negative (22.86%) parenting practices related to food and physical activity during the pandemic. Moderation analyses showed that the negative relation between perceived stress and positive parental behaviour changes was stronger at higher perceived increases in decision fatigue during the pandemic. Conclusions In the face of a major public health crisis, adaptive parental responses may emerge, but perceived stress may inhibit such behaviour change. Perceived stress and decision fatigue may represent important explanatory factors in parental health promoting behaviours during times of uncertainty and change

Fundamental constructs in food parenting practices: a content map to guide future research

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

Developmental Issues in School-Based Aggression Prevention from a Social-Cognitive Perspective

Contemporary research on the development and prevention of aggressive behavior in childhood and adolescence emphasizes the importance of social-cognitive factors such as perceptual biases, problem-solving skills, and social-moral beliefs in the maintenance of aggression. Indeed, school-based social-cognitive intervention approaches have been identified as best practices by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, because child age is an important covariate of both intervention effectiveness and social-cognitive ability, school-based prevention program designers should keep in mind a number of issues identified through developmental research. In this paper, we review the social-cognitive model of aggressive behavior development as applied to prevention programming. We then discuss some of the ways in which the broader developmental research base can inform the design of aggression prevention programs.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/45098/1/10935_2005_Article_5.pd

The Impact of Target Weight and Gender on Perceptions of Likeability, Personality Attributes, and Functional Impairment

Background: Bias against individuals who are overweight is well documented. However, little is known about biased perceptions of men and women at varying specified degrees of overweight. Methods: Men and women (N = 308) rated male and female figures (low normal weight, overweight, obese, extremely obese) on measures of dislike, personality characteristics, and functional limitations. Results: Little or no bias was observed against overweight figures (BMI approximately 25 kg/m 2); however, strong bias was observed against obese and extremely obese figures. Men\u27s ratings of extremely obese females were more negative than those of comparable males. However, for other weight categories, participants evidenced similar or greater weight bias against overweight and obese men than against female targets of corresponding weight. Furthermore, male participants tended to perceive heavier females as having more functional deficits and disliked them somewhat more than female participants. Conclusion: By using targets of known BMI categories, the current study enhances our understanding of who is likely to be impacted by weight bias. As individuals with a BMI \u3c 30 kg/m 2 are typically not the targets of weight-related bias, research and efforts regarding weight-related bias should focus more specifically on those individuals who are obese or extremely obese. Copyright © 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel

Exposure to Low-Level Aggression in School: Associations with Aggressive Behavior, Future Expectations, and Perceived Safety

Examined associations with witnessing and being victimized by low-level aggressive acts (e.g., pushing, gossip) and three indicators of psychosocial functioning in a sample of 771 elementary school students from one urban and one suburban school district. Results indicated that exposure to low-level aggression appears to relate to psychosocial functioning in ways similar to more severe forms of aggression. Students who were exposed to higher levels of both witnessing and victimization by low-level aggression reported the highest levels of engagement in aggression, the lowest levels of positive expectations for the future, and the lowest levels of perceived safety. Findings are discussed in the context of research on exposure to aggression in general, with suggestions offered for future studies. Implications of the findings for school-based intervention programs are raised

Friday Night Is Pizza Night: A Comparison of Children’s Dietary Intake and Maternal Perceptions and Feeding Goals on Weekdays and Weekends

Childhood obesity is a serious issue in the U.S. While obesity is the result of a multitude of factors, a great deal of research has focused on children’s dietary intake. While children’s eating patterns vary throughout the week, not much else is known about weekday-weekend differences. Therefore, the current study examined differences in the frequency and portion size of school-age children’s consumption of common foods and beverages, as well as mothers’ perceptions of those items and their child feeding goals, on weekdays and weekends. A total of 192 mothers of children aged 7 to 11 were recruited through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Results showed a consistent pattern of more frequent consumption and larger portions of unhealthy foods and beverages on weekends. This aligned with mothers’ perceptions of those foods and beverages as weekend items, as well as their feeding goals of health and price being less important on weekends. It is quite possible that weekends are viewed as having less structure and facilitate schedules that allow children to consume more meals away from home. These findings shed light on additional risk factors in children’s eating patterns and highlight the serious implications that day of the week can have on childhood obesity