Family environmental influences on food avoidant eating behaviour during early childhood: a longitudinal and observational study

A prospective, longitudinal and observational study, using a non-clinical population of mother-child dyads was conducted to evaluate the contribution of family-environmental factors in predicting child food avoidance and feeding problems across early childhood. The contribution of maternal feeding practices, mealtime structure and interactional behaviour during mealtimes, were explored in predicting child food avoidance between 2 and 5 years, whilst also evaluating the role of maternal psychopathology and child temperament. This thesis also assessed the validity of maternal reports of child eating behaviour and feeding practices by obtaining independent observations of these constructs, and explored the longitudinal stability and continuity of both independent observations and maternal reports of child eating behaviour and maternal feeding practices. Concurrently and prospectively, observations of mothers eating with their child, displaying high sensitivity, low control, and more positive emotion and verbalisation during mealtimes predicted less avoidant child eating behaviour. Reports of mothers providing a healthy food-related home environment, encouraging balanced food intake, and involving their child in food planning, in addition to a less emotional child temperament, were also significant longitudinal predictors of less avoidant child eating behaviour. Maternal descriptions of their child s eating behaviour were validated by independent observations; however maternal descriptions of their own feeding practices were not. Child eating behaviour and maternal feeding practices were predominantly stable and continuous across early childhood, with the exception of child difficulty to feed and maternal pressure to eat which decreased between the ages of 3 and 4. This thesis demonstrates many interesting and novel findings but primarily through the utilisation of observational and longitudinal data it demonstrates the important causal contribution of family-environmental factors in the development of food avoidant eating behaviours during early childhood

Long-term vegetation change in the Cape of Good Hope section of Table Mountain National Park, in response to climate, fire and land use

Includes bibliographical references.Climate change, fire and land use are known threats to biodiversity and are predicted to have a major impact on the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa over the next fifty years. This study investigated long-term (1966-2012) changes in the vegetation of the Cape of Good Hope Section of Table Mountain National Park in response to 20th century changes in climate, fire and land use. Climate variables and fire history were assessed over the last 100 years using linear regression, segmented regression and GIS analyses. Seventy eight repeat photographs were taken at stratified points set out across the reserve and changes in total vegetation cover and the cover of major growth forms (broad leaved shrubs, proteoids, ericoids and restioids) within three main vegetation types (Dune Asteraceous Fynbos, Restioid Fynbos and Proteoid Fynbos) were assessed. Transition matrices were used to investigate the extent of vegetation change likely over the next fifty years. In a separate study changes in the number of individuals as well as the cover of several Proteaceae species (Mimetes fimbriifolius, Leucospermum conocarpodendron and Leucadendron spp.) were also investigated using the repeat photographs

Activity-related parenting practices : development of the parenting related to activity measure (PRAM) and links with mothers' eating psychopathology and compulsive exercise beliefs

This is a two-study paper that developed a measure to assess parenting practices related to children's physical activity and explored maternal predictors of such parenting practices. Study 1: A self-report measure of parents' activity-related practices (the Parenting Related to Activity Measure) was developed, and a principal component analysis was carried out using data from 233 mothers of 4.5- to 9-year-old children. The results supported a six-factor model and yielded the following subscales: Responsibility/monitoring; Activity regulation; Control of active behaviours; Overweight concern; Rewarding parenting; and Pressure to exercise. Study 2: Mothers (N = 170) completed the Parenting Related to Activity Measure, alongside measures of eating psychopathology and compulsive exercise, to identify predictors of activity-related parenting practices. Mothers' eating psychopathology and exercise beliefs predicted activity parenting practices with their sons and daughters, but different predictors were seen for mothers of daughters versus sons. Mothers' eating and exercise attitudes are important predictors of their activity-related parenting practices, particularly with girls. Identifying early interactions around activity/exercise could be important in preventing the development of problematic beliefs about exercise, which are often a key symptom of eating disorders. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association

Food avoidance in children:the influence of maternal feeding practices and behaviours

The aim of this study was to examine the contribution of a broad range of maternal feeding practices in predicting parental reports of food avoidance eating behaviours in young children, after controlling for child temperament, and maternal dietary restraint which have previously been associated with feeding problems. One hundred and four mothers of children aged between 3 and 6 years completed self report measures of their child's eating behaviour and temperament, maternal dietary restraint and child feeding practices. Maternal reports of food avoidance eating behaviours were associated with an emotional child temperament, high levels of maternal feeding control, using food for behaviour regulation and low encouragement of a balanced and varied food intake. Maternal feeding practices, predominantly pressure to eat, significantly predicted food avoidance eating behaviours after controlling for child emotionality and maternal dietary restraint. The significant contribution of maternal feeding practices, which are potentially modifiable behaviours, suggests that the feeding interactions of parents and their children should be targeted for intervention and the prevention of feeding difficulties during early childhood. Future research should continue to explore how a broader range of feeding practices, particular those that may be more adaptive, might influence child eating behaviour

The stability and continuity of maternally reported and observed child eating behaviours and feeding practices across early childhood

Given that many eating behaviours and food preferences develop early in childhood and track across childhood, adolescence and into adulthood, interest has grown in the developmental trajectory of these behaviours. The aims of this study were twofold. First, to explore whether maternal reports of child eating behaviour and feeding practices are validated by independent observations of these constructs. Second, to explore the continuity and stability of both maternally reported and independently observed child eating behaviours and maternal feeding practices during early childhood. Sixty-five mothers completed measures of their child’s eating behaviour and their own feeding practices and mother–child dyads were observed during a family mealtime at approximately 3 and 4 years of age. Maternal reports of their child’s eating behaviours were validated by independent observations, however maternally reported feeding practices were not validated by observations of these behaviours. Maternally reported and independently observed child eating behaviours and parental feeding practices remained stable and showed continuity between 3 and 4 years of age, with the exception of child difficulty to feed and maternal pressure to eat which both significantly decreased over time. Findings provide an insight into the validity of maternal reports of fussy eating behaviour and parental feeding practices and the developmental trajectory of these behaviours across early childhood

Systematics, diversification and ecology of the Conophytum-clade (Ruschieae; Aizoaceae)

Philosophiae Doctor - PhDThe Ruschieae is the most diverse and speciose tribe within the large subfamily Ruschioideae (Aizoaceae), with approximately 71 genera and a distribution centred in the arid parts of the Greater Cape Floristic Region (GCFR) of South Africa. Recent phylogenetic analyses provided the first insights into generic relationships within the tribe, with a number of novel generic relationships discovered. The tribal phylogeny recovered 12 large clades, of which the Conophytum-clade was one the most morphologically diverse based on leaf and capsule characters. The Conophytum-clade is an early-diverging lineage of the Ruschieae and includes the following 10 genera: Cheiridopsis N.E.Br., Conophytum N.E.Br., Enarganthe N.E.Br., Ihlenfeldtia H.E.K.Hartmann, Jensenobotrya A.G.J.Herre, Namaquanthus L.Bolus, Octopoma N.E.Br., Odontophorus N.E.Br., Ruschianthus L.Bolus and Schlechteranthus Schwantes. The present study presents an expanded phylogenetic analysis of the Conophytum-clade, with the sampling of the majority of species in the genera and a representative sampling (56% of species) of the speciose genus Conophytum. Phylogenetic data for up to nine plastid gene regions (atpB–rbcL, matK, psbJ–petA, rpl16, rps16, trnD– trnT, trnL–F, trnQᶷᶷᶢ–rps16, trnS–trnG) were produced for each of the sampled species. The produced plastid data was analyses using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference. The combined plastid phylogenetic analyses were used in combination with morphological, anatomical and palynological data to assess generic and subgeneric circumscriptions within the clade. Upon assessment of generic circumscriptions in the Conophytum-clade, the number of recognised genera in the clade decreased from ten to seven. Arenifera A.G.J.Herre, which had not been sampled in any phylogeny of the Ruschieae, and Octopoma were recovered as polyphyletic, with species placed in the Conophytum-clade, while the type species was placed in the xeromorphic clade of the tribal phylogeny. The species of Arenifera and Octopoma placed in the Conophytum-clade were subsequently included in Schlechteranthus upon assessment of generic circumscriptions between the taxa. Two morphological groupings were recognised within Schlechteranthus, one including the species of Schlechteranthus and the other including species previously recognised as Arenifera and Octopoma. These two morphological groupings were treated as subgenera, with the erection of the new subgenus Microphyllus R.F.Powell. A detailed taxonomic revision of subgenus Microphyllus is presented with a key to species, descriptions of the species (including a new species: S. parvus R.F.Powell & Klak), known geographical distributions and illustrations of the species. In addition to the changes mentioned above, the expanded sampling and phylogenetic analyses of the Conophytum-clade recovered Ihlenfeldtia and Odontophorus embedded in Cheiridopsis. The species of Ihlenfeldtia were recovered with species of heiridopsis subgenus Aequifoliae H.E.K.Hartmann, while the species of Odontophorus were recovered as polyphyletic within the Cheiridopsis subgenus Odontophoroides H.E.K.Hartmann clade. Cheiridopsis was subsequently expanded to include the species of Ihlenfeldtia and Odontophorus, with these species accommodated in the subgenera of Cheiridopsis. The phylogenetic placement and relationship of these species was supported by the shared capsule morphology. The expanded sampling of the clade did not resolve the phylogenetic relationship of the monotypic genera Enarganthe, Jensenobotrya, Namaquanthus and Ruschianthus, with these genera unresolved in the Conophytum-clade. These genera however, exhibit a unique combination of morphological characters, such as a glabrous leaf epidermis and variation in pollen exine and colpi structure, in contrast to the other genera of the clade. The assessment of the generic circumscription of these genera, based on the molecular, morphological, anatomical and palynological data suggested that the generic statuses of these monotypic genera should be maintained. The expanded phylogenetic sampling of the morphologically diverse and speciose genus Conophytum recovered the genus as monophyletic. This monophyly was supported by the unique floral type in Conophytum, with the fused petaloid staminodes forming a tube. None of the sectional classifications were recovered as monophyletic but the phylogenetic analyses did recover a few clades which more or less corresponded to the current sectional classification of the genus. A number of clades were also recovered which included species from a range of different sections. Diverse leaf and floral traits were shown to have evolved numerous times across the genus. This was particularly interesting with regards to the selected floral traits, as the phylogeny indicated a number of switches in floral morphologies across the genus. The floral diversity was assessed in complex species communities of Conophytum across the GCFR, where up to 11 species of Conophytum are found occurring sympatrically, and floral traits were shown to be different across the species within the communities. Pollination competition and adaptation were suggested as possible drivers of floral diversity in the genus, with differences in phenology, anthesis and floral morphology within the species complex communities. The unique floral type of Conophytum has enabled the species to develop a diverse range of specialised flowers, with a variety of structures, scents and colours, resulting in the diverse floral morphologies found across the genus. The complex Conophytum species communities included both closely as well as distantly related species, suggesting the soft papery capsules of Conophytum are wind dispersed. This adaptation to long distance seed dispersal resulted in a significantly higher phylogenetic diversity in Conophytum when compared to its sister genus, Cheiridopsis. A population genetics study of Conophytum also suggested that the capsules may be wind dispersed, with an indication of genetic connectivity between the geographically isolated populations of C. marginatum Lavis across the Bushmanland Inselberg Region. Although the capsules are dispersed by wind, the seeds are released from the hygrochastic capsules by runoff during rainfall events. The relationship between seed dispersal and runoff is evident from the genetic structure of populations of C. maughanii N.E.Br. and C. ratum S.A.Hammer that occur on the tops and the surrounding bases of the inselbergs, as the drainage pattern was found to directly influence population structure in these species. In addition, the AFLP analyses provided insight into the conservation of the flagship species C. ratum. The summit populations of this species were shown to sustain the populations at the base of the Gamsberg. This finding is especially important, as the distribution of the species is restricted to the Gamsberg inselberg, where mining has already commenced as of this year.National Research Foundation (NRF

Activity-related parenting practices: development of the parenting related to activity measure (PRAM) and links with mothers' eating psychopathology and compulsive exercise beliefs

This is a two-study paper that developed a measure to assess parenting practices related to children's physical activity and explored maternal predictors of such parenting practices. Study 1: A self-report measure of parents' activity-related practices (the Parenting Related to Activity Measure) was developed, and a principal component analysis was carried out using data from 233 mothers of 4.5- to 9-year-old children. The results supported a six-factor model and yielded the following subscales: Responsibility/monitoring; Activity regulation; Control of active behaviours; Overweight concern; Rewarding parenting; and Pressure to exercise. Study 2: Mothers (N = 170) completed the Parenting Related to Activity Measure, alongside measures of eating psychopathology and compulsive exercise, to identify predictors of activity-related parenting practices. Mothers' eating psychopathology and exercise beliefs predicted activity parenting practices with their sons and daughters, but different predictors were seen for mothers of daughters versus sons. Mothers' eating and exercise attitudes are important predictors of their activity-related parenting practices, particularly with girls. Identifying early interactions around activity/exercise could be important in preventing the development of problematic beliefs about exercise, which are often a key symptom of eating disorders

Appetite regulation in early childhood: the impact of parenting behaviours and child temperament

The ability to appropriately regulate appetite appears to be intrinsic from birth. However as children develop and become socialised, problems with the control and regulation of appetite are commonplace, as evidenced by the high prevalence of overweight and obesity in later childhood and adulthood. This chapter explores different theories of appetite regulation and discusses the various eating behaviour traits which have been identified during early childhood. Although there are several aspects of parenting behaviour that may contribute to a child's appetite regulation, or lack of regulation, this chapter focuses on the impact of the feeding practices that parents employ, and the feeding environment that parents provide when parenting their children, in influencing children's eating behaviours, appetite and weight. This chapter also explores the literature on child temperament and its contribution to eating behaviour and appetite regulation. Although the literatures on parenting influence and child temperament have been poorly integrated in relation to early child eating, some speculative suggestions are made about how these two aspects of behaviour may interact together to influence the regulation and control of appetite in young children