A mixed methods analysis of maternal response to children's consumption of a palatable food: differences by child weight status

Association between parental feeding styles, body mass index, and consumption of fruits, vegetables and processed foods with mothers´ perceptions of feeding difficulties in children

BACKGROUND

Feeding difficulties (FDs) are complex phenomena influenced by parental factors, feeding behaviour, and cultural factors. However, studies of the influences of these factors on FDs incidence are scarce. Thus, this study aimed to identify the associations between mothers' perceptions of FDs in children and parental feeding styles, body mass index, and the consumption of fruits, vegetables and processed foods.

METHOD

Two hundred and fifty-seven mothers of children aged 1 to 6 years and 11 months participated in this cross-sectional study and self-completed electronic questionnaires on sociographic variables, parental feeding styles, the consumption of fruits, vegetables and processed foods and FDs. Nutritional status was classified by body mass index (kg/m2).

RESULTS

The prevalence of FDs in children was 48.2%, and the mean age was 43.8 (± 17.6) months. The indulgent parental feeding style was the most common (40.1%), followed by the authoritative (31.1%), authoritarian (23.7%), and uninvolved (5.1%) styles. An indulgent parental feeding style (OR: 4.66; 95% CI: 2.20-9.85), a high body mass index (OR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.09-1.68), and the consumption of processed foods (OR: 5.21; 95% CI: 2.85-9.53) were positively associated with increased odds of the absence of FDs in children. The associations of authoritarian and uninvolved parental feeding styles and the consumption of fruits and vegetables with FDs in children were not significant.

CONCLUSION

This study identified multiple factors that are possibly associated with feeding behaviours in young children. However, further studies need to be undertaken to evaluate how such behaviours affect FDs.

Mastication in overweight and obese children: A comparative cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to analyze masticatory characteristics in children from 7 to 10 years, and to compare these characteristics among normal weight, overweight and obese children.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional study, conducted in northeast Brazil, with a sample of 160 children, aged 7 to 10 years. The authors evaluated: nutritional and dental status; food intake; masticatory parameters and orofacial myofunctional characteristics. The children were divided according to nutritional status into normal weight (n = 101), overweight (n = 33) and obesity (n = 26) groups.

RESULTS

The results showed that Obese children had a larger bite size (g) (median = 6.0, Q1-Q3 = 4.0-9.0, p = 0.049) and performed fewer masticatory sequences (median = 3.0, Q1-Q3 = 2.0-3.2, p = 0.024) than children with normal weight (median = 5.0, Q1-Q3 = 4.0-7.0; median = 4.0, Q1-Q3 = 3.0-5.0). Furthermore, obese children finished feeding in a shorter time (s) (median = 62.5, Q1-Q3 = 50.5-70.0, p = 0.039) than normal weight children (median = 66.0, Q1-Q3 = 56.5-78.0) and overweight children (median = 66.0, Q1-Q3 = 58.0-81.5).

CONCLUSIONS

The present results suggest that obese children present changes in mastication, evidenced by larger bite-size, performing fewer masticatory sequences and rapid mastication, which may contribute to increased food consumption and the development of excess weight.

The weight of words: Discursive constructions of health in weight-neutral peer-reviewed journal articles

Weight-neutral approaches to health, like the Health at Every Size® (HAES®) approach arose in response to emerging evidence showing the negative health consequences of weight-focused approaches through the effects of stigma and marginalization in many settings, including healthcare. While the discourses of dominant 'weight-normative' approaches are well-researched and described, little is known about how language and discourse is creating certain 'truths' about weight-neutral approaches. The aim of this study was to explore how academic discourses create truths about weight-neutral approaches to health. A discourse analysis of 63 academic journal articles was conducted. We found that the language used in academic literature is creating confusing and contradictory messages about weight and weight-neutral approaches to health (like the HAES® approach) through: (i) the continued use of stigmatising and normative labels like 'overweight' and 'obese', (ii) paradoxical language like 'flexible restraint', and (iii) a focus on individual responsibility and blame for health and weight without acknowledgement of broader societal and systemic factors. More research is needed to characterize weight-neutral approaches and develop a clearer framework for researchers wishing to engage with the weight-neutral paradigm of health.