Associations between maternal sense of coherence and controlling feeding practices: The importance of resilience and support in families of preschoolers

On cloud nine? Maternal emotional wellbeing six weeks up to one year postpartum - A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the full scope of emotional wellbeing of mothers up to one year postpartum, to adequately support women during transition to motherhood. Reduced emotional wellbeing (REW) affects women's adaption to the changes and challenges in becoming a mother. We aimed to increase the knowledge and understanding of mothers' emotional wellbeing and the influencing factors.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study includes 385 Flemish mothers up to one year postpartum. Online data were collected with the General Health Questionnaire-12, Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire, Personal Well-Being Index-Adult, The Basic Psychological Needs Scale, Sense of Coherence-13 and Coping Operations Preference Enquiry.

RESULTS

A total of 63.9% of the participants reported REW. Mothers with REW more often had (a history of) psychological problems compared to mothers with healthy emotional wellbeing (p = 0.007). Multiple linear regression analysis showed negative associations between emotional wellbeing and satisfaction (p = 0.002; p < 0.001), comprehensibility (p = 0.013) and positive associations between emotional wellbeing and bonding (p < 0.001), manageability (p = 0.033), problem solving (p = 0.030) and avoidance (p = 0,011) - with an explained variance of 55.5%.

LIMITATIONS

Some limitations of our study are the GHQ-12 cut-off value, the nature and implication of (a history of) psychological problems and the self-selected population.

CONCLUSION

It would be of worth for midwives to discuss with mothers (to be) what to expect. This - to support mothers in making sense of their life as a mother and how various factors might influence their emotional wellbeing. The high prevalence of REW is worrying, but needs to be interpreted with caution.

Salutogenesis, nutritional status and eating behaviour: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE

To assess the relationship between the sense of coherence (SOC), eating behaviour and nutritional status.

DESIGN

It is a systematic review.

SETTING

The following databases were searched: MEDLINE/PubMed, Science Direct/Elsevier, LILACS/Bireme, SciELO and Google Scholar, using the indexed terms 'salutogenesis', 'sense of coherence', 'nutritional status', 'nutrition', 'eating behavior' and 'healthy eating'. The indexed terms were used in Portuguese and English according to the database searched. The data were extracted in a standardised way and the quality of the studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.

PARTICIPANTS

Observational studies were included, with no limitations on the date of publication or language.

RESULTS

After reading the titles and abstracts of 1855 articles, 107 full texts were retrieved, of which 27 were included. Of these, twenty-five were cross-sectional and two were longitudinal. The average score for Newcastle-Ottawa studies was 6 and most studies were rated as moderate and low quality. The cumulative sample size of all included studies was 28 981 adults and the elderly, aged between 18 and 81 years. The studies were carried out in fifteen different countries. Fifteen articles assessed eating behaviour/habit and twelve assessed nutritional status. Studies have shown that SOC has a positive relationship with an appropriate eating behaviour/habit. On the other hand, the relationship between SOC and nutritional status was controversial among studies. The heterogeneity of the data resulting from the use of different methods of evaluation of the outcomes of interest (nutritional status and eating behaviour) made it impossible to perform a meta-analysis.

CONCLUSION

SOC was positively associated with adequate eating behaviour. However, it was not possible to establish a relationship between SOC and nutritional status.

The Relationships between Caregivers’ Concern about Child Weight and Their Non-Responsive Feeding Practices: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: It is unclear whether caregivers’ concern about child weight impacts their non-responsive feeding practices. This systematic review aimed to examine their relationships. Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science core collection, CINAHL and grey literature was conducted from inception to March 2022, following PRISMA guidelines. Data synthesis was performed using a semi-quantitative approach and a meta-analysis. Results: A total of 35 studies with 22,933 respondents were included in the review for semi-quantitative analyses. Thirty-four studies examined 52 associations between concern about child weight and restriction with 40 statistically significant associations being observed. A total of 34 relationships between concern about child weight and pressure to eat were investigated, with 12 being statistically significant. The pooled regression coefficients (β) demonstrated that caregivers’ concern about child overweight was positively associated with restriction (β = 0.22; 95%CI: 0.12, 0.31), negatively associated with use of food as a reward (β = −0.06; 95%CI: −0.11, −0.01), and not statistically associated with pressure to eat (β = −0.05; 95%CI: −0.13, 0.04). The pooled odds ratios (ORs) indicated that caregivers who were concerned about child overweight were found to use restrictive feeding more often (OR = 2.34; 95%CI: 1.69, 3.23), while less frequently adopting pressure to eat (OR = 0.76; 95%CI: 0.59, 0.98) compared with those without concerns. The results also showed that caregivers who were concerned about child underweight were more likely to force their children to eat (OR = 1.83; 95%CI: 1.44, 2.33) than those without concerns. Conclusion: Caregivers’ concern about child weight may be an important risk factor for non-responsive feeding practices. Thus, interventions are needed to focus on managing and relieving caregivers’ excessive concern about child weight, especially overweight, which may optimize feeding practices and subsequently contribute to child health.

Exploring the risk factors for early-life sugar consumption: A birth cohort study

BACKGROUND

Sugar consumption in early childhood is the primary cause of negative health outcomes, including early childhood caries.

AIM

To investigate risk factors associated with early-life sugar consumption.

DESIGN

Explanatory variables were collected at baseline of a birth cohort in Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil. At six months of age, data were collected on child feeding practices, including the number of foods and beverages containing sugar. Multivariate Poisson regression analysis with robust variance was performed.

RESULTS

Virtually all children (98.3%) had consumed sugar by the age of 6 months. Multivariable analysis showed that the number of sweet items was significantly larger in children whose mothers were less than 20 years of age (MR = 1.19; 95% CI: 1.05-1.36), those from non-nuclear families (MR = 1.12; 95% CI: 1.04-1.20), those whose mothers had less than eight years of schooling (MR = 1.34; 95% CI: 1.20-1.50) and those whose mothers smoked (MR = 1.23; 95% CI: 1.13-1.35). Moreover, the number of sweet items was significantly lower among children who breastfed in the first hour of life (MR = 0.85; 95% CI: 0.76-0.95).

CONCLUSION

Sugar consumption begins very early, especially in children with no access to breastfeeding in the first hours of life and those from younger, less educated, and smoking mothers.

Knowledge, attitudes and self-reported practices toward children oral health among mother's attending maternal and child's units, Salé, Morocco

Background

The occurrence of severe dental caries is particularly prevalent and harmful in children. A better understanding of parental factors that may be indicators of children’s risk of developing dental caries is important for the development of preventive measures.

This study was conducted to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of mothers in Salé, Morocco regarding oral health and their predictors.

Methods

A cross-sectional KAP study was conducted of Mother and Child units in Salé, Morocco. Mothers attending the selected units from November 2014 to 29 January 2015 were recruited. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire, administered by face-to-face interviews, to record socio-demographic factors and KAPs. The main outcome measures included knowledge about oral health diseases and preventive measures, and attitudes and practices related to oral health prevention measures and dental care. KAPs scores were then recoded based on responses and scores were determined for each KAP domain. Linear regression analysis was conducted to assess predictors of KAP scores.

Results

Among 502 mothers included, 140 (27.8%) were illiterate and 285 (60.9%) were aware that fluoride has a beneficial effect in caries prevention. Mothers’ own practices about dental care were statistically related to their children’s use of dental care services (p < 0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the knowledge score was associated with mother’s age (β = 0.05; 95% CI; p < 0.001), education level, and median income (β = 0.38; p = 0.04). Significant predictors of oral health-related practices were mother’s education level and children’s health status.

Conclusions

Limited KAP scores were observed among the studied population. A great emphasis on oral health education and some risk factor modifications are recommended.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-018-5542-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Association between maternal nonresponsive feeding practice and child's eating behavior and weight status: children aged 1 to 6 years

The purposes of this study are to investigate the prevalence of nonresponsive feeding practice (NRFP) and child's eating behavior (CEB) and to explore the hypothetical association between child's weight status, NRFP and CEB for 1- to 6-year-old children. In this study, 2423 caregivers of 1- to 6-year-old children are from the Nanjing Maternal and Child Health Hospital who completed the self-report questionnaires about their NRFP and CEB as well as their children's sociodemographic data. Chi-square test and multiple regression analyses were used to examine the correlation between child's weight status and NRFP and CEB. The total prevalence of overweight and obesity was 15.2 and 7.3%, respectively. High prevalence of CEB problems and NRFP was detected at 2- and 5-year-old children. Moreover, maternal NRFP was significantly positively associated with CEB. The regression and correlation analysis revealed CEB and maternal NRFP are closely associated with BMI. For instance, refusing new food (OR = 3.57, 95%CI, 1.37-9.33, 1.5-year-old) and restriction (OR = 3.01, 95%CI, 1.34-6.76) are likely to be associated with underweight. Preferring junk food (OR = 4.892, 95%CI, 1.71-14.01, 1-year-old) and inattention (OR = 2.24, 95%CI, 1.16-4.35, 1-year-old) are prone to be overweight and obese, and pressure (OR = 0.23, 95%CI, 0.06-0.91, 1-year-old) is less likely to be associated with underweight.

CONCLUSION

The findings provide strong evidence for the correlation between NRFR and CEB, and this indicates that prevention and intervention of unhealthy weight should start in early life. However, further research is necessary to gain an understanding of the impact of NRFP on CEB and weight. What is known: • Responsive feeding practice is crucial to the formation of eating behavior, and poor practice is associated with the current epidemics of childhood obesity and underweight. What is new: • The findings provide a strong evidence for the correlation between NRFR and CEB. • This finding indicates that NRFR and CEB are associated with child's unhealthy weight.

Controlling feeding practices and maternal migrant background: an analysis of a multicultural sample

Objective

Parental feeding practices shape children’s relationships with food and eating. Feeding is embedded socioculturally in values and attitudes related to food and parenting. However, few studies have examined associations between parental feeding practices and migrant background.

Design

Cross-sectional study. Parental feeding practices (restriction, pressure to eat, monitoring) were assessed using the Child Feeding Questionnaire. Differences were explored in four sub-samples grouped by maternal place of birth: Sweden, Nordic/Western Europe, Eastern/Southern Europe and countries outside Europe. Crude, partly and fully adjusted linear regression models were created. Potential confounding variables included child’s age, gender and weight status, and mother’s age, weight status, education and concern about child weight.

Setting

Malmö and Stockholm, Sweden.

Subjects

Mothers (n1325, representing seventy-three countries; mean age 36·5 years; 28·1 % of non-Swedish background; 30·7 % with overweight/obesity; 62·8 % with university education) of pre-school children (mean age 4·8 years; 50·8 % boys; 18·6 % with overweight/obesity).

Results

Non-Swedish-born mothers, whether European-born or non-European-born, were more likely to use restriction. Swedish-born mothers and Nordic/Western European-born mothers reported lower levels of pressure to eat compared with mothers born in Eastern/Southern Europe and mothers born outside Europe. Differences in monitoring were small. Among the potential confounding variables, child weight status and concern about child weight were highly influential. Concern about child weight accounted for some of the effect of maternal origin on restriction.

Conclusions

Non-European-born mothers were more concerned about children being overweight and more likely to report controlling feeding practices. Future research should examine acculturative and structural factors underlying differences in feeding.