Parental feeding practices as potential moderating or mediating factors in the associations between children’s early and later growth
Authors' conclusion
Restriction for weight reasons, often used by parents in response to the child's high appetite in infancy, appears to lie on the pathway between early and later BMI, but not restriction for health, suggesting that parental way of restricting the child's food intake matters.
Study context
- Population
- Children from the EDEN mother-child cohort; parental feeding practices assessed at 2 years (Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire)
- Participants
- 1,245 children
- Exposure
- Parental feeding practices at 2 years and child BMI z-scores at 4, 6 and 8 years
- Outcome
- International Obesity Task Force BMI z-scores
- Follow-up
- 4, 6 and 8 years
Methodological detailsmother-child cohort (EDEN), multivariable linear regression adjusted for 2-year BMI z-score, interaction and mediation analyses
- Mother-child cohort (EDEN)
- Multivariable linear regression adjusted for 2-year BMI z-score
- Interaction and mediation analyses
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Restriction for weight positively associated with BMI z-scores from 4 to 8 years; β at 8 years
0.09 [0.01; 0.16] (95% CI)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
High use of food as a reward and later BMI z-scores (boys only) · up to 8 years
- Positive association among boys only; β at 8 years
- 0.15 [0.03; 0.27] (95% CI)
Moderation of early–later growth associations
- Parental feeding practices were not moderating factors
Mediation by restriction for weight of association between 2-year BMI z-score and later BMI z-scores · up to 8 years
- Proportion of total effect mediated
- 2.69% [0.27%; 5.11%] (95% CI)
Original publication
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