Maternal self-efficacy is associated with mother-child feeding practices in middle childhood

Parental Self-Efficacy and Child Diet Quality between Ages 2 and 5: The STEPS Study

Parental self-efficacy (PSE), a measure of the subjective competence in the parental role, has been linked with child well-being and health. Research on the influence of PSE on child eating habits is scarce, and the few studies have concentrated on certain food groups, such as vegetables or fruits, and have mostly included only maternal PSE. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore the associations between PSE (separately for mothers and fathers and as a total family-level score) and child diet quality in a cross-sectional and longitudinal study setting. PSE was measured at child ages of 1.5 and 5 years, and diet quality was measured at ages 2 and 5. Participants are from the Steps to Healthy Development (STEPS) Study (n = 270-883). We found that maternal PSE and family level PSE score were associated with child diet quality. Paternal PSE was not, but the dimension Routines was associated with child diet quality. PSE was similarly associated with child diet quality at both age points. Our results suggest that PSE is an important construct in the development of healthy dietary habits in children, and supporting parenting programs aimed at higher PSE could promote healthy diet quality in children.

Food security and feeding behaviours in low-income, Latinx families with preschool-aged children

OBJECTIVE

To examine the association between food security and feeding practices in Latinx parents of pre-school-aged children and examine possible effect modification by parental self-efficacy.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional assessment using the US Department of Agriculture screener for food insecurity as the exposure and sub-scales of the Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire as the outcome with the General Self-Efficacy Scale as an effect modifier. Non-parametric descriptive statistics were used to compare groups based on food security status.

SETTING

Two Latinx communities with low-socioeconomic status in Texas in 2017 and in Oregon in 2018-2019.

PARTICIPANTS

Latinx parents of preschool aged children, English and Spanish speaking. Dyads were excluded if they had moderate-severe developmental disabilities, a seizure disorder with a restrictive diet or taking medications known to influence typical growth.

RESULTS

Of the 168 families in Oregon, 65 (38 %) reported food insecurity, and 10 (21 %) of the 48 families in Texas reported food insecurity. Food security was associated with greater parental monitoring practices in both the Texas and Oregon samples. We observed no differences in creating a healthy home food environment by food security status in either sample. Parental general self-efficacy showed evidence of effect modification in Oregon - only parents with lower self-efficacy showed a significant association between food security and feeding practices.

CONCLUSIONS

Latinx parents of preschool children experience high levels of food insecurity, which are associated with maladaptive parental feeding practices. Greater parental general self-efficacy moderates this association and could buffer the effects of food insecurity on children's health.

How Parenting and Family Characteristics Predict the Use of Feeding Practices among Parents of Preschoolers: A Cross-Sectional Study in Beijing, China

Parental coercive and structured feeding practices are linked with children’s weight gain. Thus, identifying their predictors will assist in childhood obesity prevention. We explored how parents’ concerns and perceptions of children’s weight, parenting stress, parenting competence, parents’ family roles, and only child status (of both parent and child) predict the use of restriction, pressure to eat, and monitoring practices among parents of preschoolers. Parent–child dyads (n = 2990) were recruited in Beijing in 2019. Parenting competence, parents’ weight perceptions and feeding practices were assessed using the Chinese version of Parenting Sense of Competence Scale and Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ), respectively. Parenting stress and other variables were collected through self-administered questionnaires. Multivariate linear associations between parents’ weight perceptions and feeding practices were significant among normal-weight children. Parents’ concerns about children being overweight were positively associated with restriction and monitoring, and negatively associated with pressure to eat. Higher levels of parenting stress and parenting competence significantly improved the adoption of restriction and pressure to eat. Parents’ only child status and that of children had an impact on parents’ feeding practices. The fathers’ feeding preferences were substantially different from what mothers preferred. In conclusion, such parenting and family characteristics significantly influenced feeding practices of preschoolers’ parents. These were long neglected in China.

Systematic Review of Self-Report Measures of Maternal Self-Efficacy

OBJECTIVE

To synthesize the literature to identify self-report measures used to assess maternal self-efficacy (MSE) among mothers of infants 0 to 1 year of age.

DATA SOURCES

OVID (MEDLINE), CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus, Google Scholar.

STUDY SELECTION

We searched for research articles that included self-report measurement of MSE and were published from January 2000 to September 2021. We selected this time frame to focus on a contemporary context and to build on an earlier systematic review of self-report measures of self-efficacy in parents that captured a subset of MSE measures across a broader time period (1970-2016).

DATA EXTRACTION

We extracted measures of MSE with descriptive details, including level of self-efficacy assessed (e.g., global, domain-specific, task-specific), concept(s) assessed, reliability, eligible age ranges, instrument origins, development, use, and translations.

DATA SYNTHESIS

In many studies of MSE, researchers used measures not specifically designed for self-efficacy and instead used measures for closely related concepts such as confidence or competence. We identified only four measures that were used to assess MSE among mothers of infants. Among these, we found variation in the level of self-efficacy being measured and the intended age range. Importantly, we also found that measures of MSE were primarily validated for use within Western and/or English-speaking cultures/countries.

CONCLUSION

We identified four instruments to measure MSE in mothers of infants, and each has strengths and weaknesses. Future researchers should focus on clear conceptual and operational alignment between MSE and its measurement; the development of an English, task-specific MSE measure; and further development and testing of measures of MSE outside of Western and/or English-speaking cultures/countries.

Mothers' perceptions of self-efficacy and satisfaction with parenting are related to their use of controlling and positive food parenting practices

Perceptions of parenting competence are composed of self‐efficacy and satisfaction with parenting. Parenting competence is linked to differential outcomes across numerous parenting domains. To date, few studies have explored the relationships between maternal self‐efficacy and food parenting practices, deploying different measures and age ranges, and yielding conflicting findings. Therefore, the current study sought to explore relationships between the two dimensions of perceived parenting competence and the use of controlling and positive food parenting practices. UK mothers (N = 269) of 18‐ to 59‐month‐old children completed measures of both dimensions of perceived parenting competence (i.e., parenting self‐efficacy and satisfaction) and of controlling (maladaptive) and positive (health promoting) food parenting practices. Relationships were found between perceptions of competence and use of food parenting practices. Self‐efficacy and satisfaction with parenting were positively associated with the use of most positive food parenting practices. Greater parenting satisfaction, but not parenting efficacy, was associated with lower use of some of the potentially detrimental controlling food parenting practices. Neither parenting self‐efficacy nor satisfaction with parenting were related to mothers' reported use of pressure to eat. In conclusion, supporting and promoting greater maternal self‐efficacy and satisfaction with parenting may be a useful target for public health interventions and for professionals working with families with the aim of promoting optimal parenting to support children's development of healthy eating habits. Future research should seek to further elucidate the current findings with a longitudinal design.