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

Low‐income mothers’ feeding goals predict observed home mealtime and child feeding practices

BackgroundMothers’ goals are important for health behavior change, and engagement in child obesity interventions. It is unknown if maternal feeding goals are associated with observed home mealtime or feeding practices. The objective of this study was to examine the association of four common feeding goals (restrict junk food, promote fruit or vegetable intake, promote autonomy in eating and prevent obesity) with mothers’ observed home mealtime and feeding practices.MethodsLow‐income mothers (N = 265) of children (mean child age 70.8 months) participated in a semi‐structured interview about child feeding. A coding scheme was developed and reliably applied to identify mothers’ feeding goals from transcripts. Mothers’ observed home mealtime and feeding practices were reliably coded from home mealtimes and a laboratory eating protocol. Mothers completed a questionnaire and reported demographics. Participant weights and heights were obtained. Regression models were used to test the association of each feeding goal with observed maternal practices, controlling for covariates.ResultsThe goal of restricting junk food was associated with the child always eating at a table (OR 2.87, 95% CI (1.39–5.96) p = 0.005), but not with the mother restricting junk food. The goal of promoting fruit or vegetable intake was associated with observationally promoting vegetables (OR 1.41, 95% CI (1.09–1.84), p = 0.01). The goals of promoting autonomy and preventing obesity were not associated with any observed maternal home mealtime or feeding practices.ConclusionsWhile mothers’ goals to restrict junk food and promote fruit or vegetable intake were associated with observed home mealtime and feeding practices, promoting autonomy and preventing obesity were not. Increased understanding of why low‐income mothers may not translate certain feeding goals into practices may inform childhood obesity interventions.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134417/1/cch12396.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134417/2/cch12396_am.pd

Development of a parental feeding goal measure: the family mealtime goals questionnaire

It is well established that parents’ feeding practices predict children’s eating behaviors. However, there has been little research into parents’ mealtime goals – their desired outcomes for family mealtimes. These goals, and potential conflicts between them, may be important both in explaining parents’ feeding practices and improving children’s eating behaviors, as health behavior change is more likely to be achieved by programmes and interventions that are aligned with an individual’s goals. The objectives of this study were to develop a reliable and valid measure that captures parental mealtime goals, and to describe parents’ endorsement of these goals. Online questionnaire methods were used to design and test the Family Mealtime Goals Questionnaire with 1,140 parents and carers of at least one child aged from 1 to 16 years. Exploratory qualitative analysis, Principal Components Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis and test-retest analysis (using intraclass correlations) were conducted to establish the psychometric properties of the instrument. An 18-item questionnaire was produced with seven dimensions: stress/conflict avoidance, homemade food, shared family food, family involvement in mealtimes, price, occasional treats, and high/low fat regulation. Some differences were found in the goal structure of parents of children of different ages but stress/conflict avoidance was the most strongly endorsed mealtime goal for all age groups. The Family Mealtime Goals Questionnaire provides a useful measure of parents’ feeding motivations. It will facilitate large-scale research into the relationships between parents' feeding goals and practices and could inform the design of more effective healthy eating interventions that target specific feeding goals

Recollections of pressure to eat during childhood, but not picky eating, predict young adult eating behavior

Picky eating is a childhood behavior that vexes many parents and is a symptom in the newer diagnosis of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) in adults. Pressure to eat, a parental controlling feeding practice aimed at encouraging a child to eat more, is associated with picky eating and a number of other childhood eating concerns. Low intuitive eating, an insensitivity to internal hunger and satiety cues, is also associated with a number of problem eating behaviors in adulthood. Whether picky eating and pressure to eat are predictive of young adult eating behavior is relatively unstudied. Current adult intuitive eating and disordered eating behaviors were self-reported by 170 college students, along with childhood picky eating and pressure through retrospective self- and parent reports. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that childhood parental pressure to eat, but not picky eating, predicted intuitive eating and disordered eating symptoms in college students. These findings suggest that parental pressure in childhood is associated with problematic eating patterns in young adulthood. Additional research is needed to understand the extent to which parental pressure is a reaction to or perhaps compounds the development of problematic eating behavior

The Benefits and Trajectory of Airbrushing-Based Media Literacy Among Girls

This dissertation assessed the body image and digital manipulation (airbrushing) knowledge of four age groups (i.e., 3rd grade, 7th grade, 11th grade, and college students). It was found that girls begin to learn about the airbrushing process around 7th grade (12-13 years old), but they do not begin to use this knowledge to protect themselves against airbrushed images until they are older adolescents. Also examined was the effect that seeing airbrushed images had on girls in the different age groups and what individual personality differences played a role in how much children, adolescents, and women were affected by the thin-idealized images. Body image was assessed pre and post exposure to two sets of thin-idealized images. A short media literacy reflection task was completed during the second exposure. College student body image decreased after exposure to thin-idealized images with and without the media literacy reflection task. However, body image decreased significantly less when the media literacy reflection task was employed. This demonstrates the ability of this age group to use the airbrushing knowledge they have to protect themselves against idealized images, but only when instructed to do so. While the younger samples did not show a decrease in body image post media exposure, child body image was negatively related to BMI and internalization of the thin-ideal. These two main individual difference variables were found to contribute the most to both lower body image and worse body image change after media exposure

The Benefits and Trajectory of Airbrushing-Based Media Literacy Among Girls

This dissertation assessed the body image and digital manipulation (airbrushing) knowledge of four age groups (i.e., 3rd grade, 7th grade, 11th grade, and college students). It was found that girls begin to learn about the airbrushing process around 7th grade (12-13 years old), but they do not begin to use this knowledge to protect themselves against airbrushed images until they are older adolescents. Also examined was the effect that seeing airbrushed images had on girls in the different age groups and what individual personality differences played a role in how much children, adolescents, and women were affected by the thin-idealized images. Body image was assessed pre and post exposure to two sets of thin-idealized images. A short media literacy reflection task was completed during the second exposure. College student body image decreased after exposure to thin-idealized images with and without the media literacy reflection task. However, body image decreased significantly less when the media literacy reflection task was employed. This demonstrates the ability of this age group to use the airbrushing knowledge they have to protect themselves against idealized images, but only when instructed to do so. While the younger samples did not show a decrease in body image post media exposure, child body image was negatively related to BMI and internalization of the thin-ideal. These two main individual difference variables were found to contribute the most to both lower body image and worse body image change after media exposure

Feeding in the Digital Age: An Observational Analysis of Mobile Device Use during Family Meals at Fast Food Restaurants in Italy

Caregiver mobile phone use while monitoring children is a behavior of increasing prevalence. Family mealtimes have long been considered a time in which parents and children connect emotionally and model eating behaviors, but prior studies have documented less parent-child conversation and more negative parent reactions to child behavioral bids at the table during parent phone use. Research on this topic to date is sparse and focuses only on US populations. The current study used non-participant naturalistic observation to record data on parental mealtime device use and family interactions while dining with children in a fast food restaurant in Italy. Thirty seven families (individuals observed = 129) were observed at a restaurant for the duration of their meal. Qualitative analysis of field notes indicated that mobile phones are frequently used by caregivers during feeding interactions. A novel observation in the current study was different patterns of use by parent gender and age. Mothers appeared to divide their attention between phone and child, whereas fathers evidenced more continuous mobile phone use during which there was lower responsiveness towards children during the meal. Younger parents more frequently used mobile phones, compared to older parents. Parents who missed child bids for attention were all phone users during the mealtime