Childhood overweight is associated with a host of negative health outcomes. It is well appreciated that a complex interaction of genetic and environmental factors contributes to the energy imbalance that fundamentally underlies this state. Children with poor eating self regulation are at increased risk for the development of obesity. However, little is known about developmental influences on individual differences in self-regulation, particularly where eating is concerned. The overall goal of the proposed investigation is to comprehensively evaluate associations of child self-regulation, food intake, and weight status with parenting styles and practices in low-income Hispanic and African American families with preschoolers. To achieve this goal, a longitudinal design will be employed to examine temporal relationships among these constructs.
The first aim of this study is to examine developmental changes in children's general and food-specific self-regulation as well as the impact of those changes on child intake and weight status over a two-year period.
The second aim i s to determine if specific food parenting practices reflect general styles of parenting and feeding in parents of children transitioning from preschool age to elementary school age. The primary and final aim is to evaluate bi-directional influences of children's eating and weight on food parenting practices across a two year period. The proposed research offers several important advancements to scientific understanding of parenting influences on child eating and weight status. Both parenting styles and practices will be measured concurrently in general and food-specific domains. General and food-specific domains of child self-regulation will also be assessed. In addition to parental self reports, parenting and child eating behavior will be assessed by standard observational methodology using well-established theoretical perspectives from the general developmental literature. Finally, bidirectional effects will be examined because it is well-established that influences in the parent-child dyad occur from both parent to child and child to parent. Bidirectional influences have not been studied previously in the eating domain.

Public Health Relevance

Childhood obesity is associated with negative health outcomes and children with poor eating self-regulation are at increased risk for the development of obesity. This proposal will longitudinally evaluate the influence of parenting styles and food parenting practices on child self-regulation, food intake, and weight status among low-income Hispanic and African American families with preschoolers. The proposed research offers several important advancements to scientific understanding of parenting influences on child eating and weight.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01HD062567-02
Application #
8137889
Study Section
Psychosocial Risk and Disease Prevention Study Section (PRDP)
Program Officer
King, Rosalind B
Project Start
2010-09-02
Project End
2015-05-31
Budget Start
2011-06-01
Budget End
2012-05-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2011
Total Cost
$515,056
Indirect Cost
Name
Baylor College of Medicine
Department
Pediatrics
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
051113330
City
Houston
State
TX
Country
United States
Zip Code
77030
Galindo, Lionor; Power, Thomas G; Beck, Ashley D et al. (2018) Predicting preschool children's eating in the absence of hunger from maternal pressure to eat: A longitudinal study of low-income, Latina mothers. Appetite 120:281-286
Silva Garcia, Karina; Power, Thomas G; Beck, Ashley D et al. (2018) Stability in the feeding practices and styles of low-income mothers: questionnaire and observational analyses. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 15:28
Rudy, E; Bauer, K W; Hughes, S O et al. (2018) Interrelationships of child appetite, weight and snacking among Hispanic preschoolers. Pediatr Obes 13:38-45
Silva Garcia, Karina; Power, Thomas G; Fisher, Jennifer Orlet et al. (2016) Latina mothers' influences on child appetite regulation. Appetite 103:200-207
Power, Thomas G; Olivera, Yadira A; Hill, Rachael A et al. (2016) Emotion regulation strategies and childhood obesity in high risk preschoolers. Appetite 107:623-627
Hughes, Sheryl O; Frazier-Wood, Alexis C (2016) Satiety and the Self-Regulation of Food Take in Children: a Potential Role for Gene-Environment Interplay. Curr Obes Rep 5:81-7
Hughes, Sheryl O; Power, Thomas G; O'Connor, Teresia M et al. (2016) Maternal Feeding Styles and Food Parenting Practices as Predictors of Longitudinal Changes in Weight Status in Hispanic Preschoolers from Low-Income Families. J Obes 2016:7201082
Hughes, Sheryl O; Power, Thomas G; O'Connor, Teresia M et al. (2015) Executive functioning, emotion regulation, eating self-regulation, and weight status in low-income preschool children: how do they relate? Appetite 89:1-9
Power, Thomas G; O'Connor, Teresia M; Orlet Fisher, Jennifer et al. (2015) Obesity Risk in Children: The Role of Acculturation in the Feeding Practices and Styles of Low-Income Hispanic Families. Child Obes 11:715-21
Frankel, Leslie A; Thompson, Debbe; Power, Thomas G et al. (2015) Correspondence between maternal determination of child fullness and young children's self-determined fullness level: results from a standardized laboratory protocol. Child Obes 11:209-14

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