Child weight status and accuracy of perceived child weight status as predictors of Latina mothers' feeding practices and styles. 2019

Jackelyn Hidalgo-Mendez, and Thomas G Power, and Jennifer Orlet Fisher, and Teresia M O'Connor, and Sheryl O Hughes
Department of Human Development, Washington State University, PO Box 644852, Pullman, WA, 99164-4852, USA. Electronic address: jackelyn.hidalgo@wsu.edu.

This study focused on the relationship between low-income Latina mothers' perceptions of their preschool children's weight status and maternal feeding practices and styles, also considering the effects of actual child weight status and maternal concern about child weight. A total of 186 low-income Latina mother-child dyads participated. The vast majority of mothers underestimated the weight status of their child, but this varied by child weight status. Although only 30% of mothers of healthy weight children underestimated their child's weight status, 97% of mothers of overweight or obese children did so. No mother overestimated her child's weight status. Contrary to our hypotheses, in most cases, maternal perceptions of child's body weight were not related to maternal feeding styles, nor were many feeding practices predicted by concern about child weight. Instead, children's actual weight status was the strongest predictor of maternal feeding practices and feeding styles. Mothers of children with higher BMI z-scores reported higher levels of healthy eating guidance and responsiveness during feeding and lower levels of pressure to eat, food as reward, and using food to regulate the child's emotions. These mothers were more likely to show an indulgent and less likely to show an authoritarian feeding style. Concern about child weight did not account for any of these significant correlations. Maternal perceptions only mattered for restriction for weight purposes where there were independent effects of both perceived and actual weight status. Implications for understanding the development of child obesity in low-income, Latino populations are considered, along with recommendations for future research and for childhood obesity prevention programs.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D009034 Mother-Child Relations Interaction between a mother and child. Mother-Child Interaction,Mother-Child Relationship,Mother-Infant Interaction,Mother-Infant Relations,Interaction, Mother-Child,Interaction, Mother-Infant,Interactions, Mother-Child,Interactions, Mother-Infant,Mother Child Interaction,Mother Child Relations,Mother Child Relationship,Mother Infant Interaction,Mother Infant Relations,Mother-Child Interactions,Mother-Child Relation,Mother-Child Relationships,Mother-Infant Interactions,Mother-Infant Relation,Relation, Mother-Child,Relation, Mother-Infant,Relations, Mother-Child,Relations, Mother-Infant,Relationship, Mother-Child,Relationships, Mother-Child
D009035 Mothers Female parents, human or animal. Mothers' Clubs,Club, Mothers',Clubs, Mothers',Mother,Mother Clubs,Mother's Clubs,Mothers Clubs,Mothers' Club
D010465 Perception The process by which the nature and meaning of sensory stimuli are recognized and interpreted. Sensory Processing,Processing, Sensory
D011203 Poverty A situation in which the level of living of an individual, family, or group is below the standard of the community. It is often related to a specific income level. Federal Poverty Level,Federal Poverty Threshold,Indigency,Low-Income Population,Absolute Poverty,Extreme Poverty,Indigents,Low Income Population,Federal Poverty Levels,Indigent,Level, Federal Poverty,Low Income Populations,Low-Income Populations,Population, Low Income,Population, Low-Income,Poverty Level, Federal,Poverty Threshold, Federal,Poverty, Absolute,Poverty, Extreme
D001835 Body Weight The mass or quantity of heaviness of an individual. It is expressed by units of pounds or kilograms. Body Weights,Weight, Body,Weights, Body
D002675 Child, Preschool A child between the ages of 2 and 5. Children, Preschool,Preschool Child,Preschool Children
D005247 Feeding Behavior Behavioral responses or sequences associated with eating including modes of feeding, rhythmic patterns of eating, and time intervals. Dietary Habits,Eating Behavior,Faith-based Dietary Restrictions,Feeding Patterns,Feeding-Related Behavior,Food Habits,Diet Habits,Eating Habits,Behavior, Eating,Behavior, Feeding,Behavior, Feeding-Related,Behaviors, Eating,Behaviors, Feeding,Behaviors, Feeding-Related,Diet Habit,Dietary Habit,Dietary Restriction, Faith-based,Dietary Restrictions, Faith-based,Eating Behaviors,Eating Habit,Faith based Dietary Restrictions,Faith-based Dietary Restriction,Feeding Behaviors,Feeding Pattern,Feeding Related Behavior,Feeding-Related Behaviors,Food Habit,Habit, Diet,Habit, Dietary,Habit, Eating,Habit, Food,Habits, Diet,Pattern, Feeding,Patterns, Feeding,Restrictions, Faith-based Dietary
D005260 Female Females
D006630 Hispanic or Latino A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/1997/10/30/97-28653/revisions-to-the-standards-for-the-classification-of-federal-data-on-race-and-ethnicity). In the United States it is used for classification of federal government data on race and ethnicity. Race and ethnicity terms are self-identified social construct and may include terms outdated and offensive in MeSH to assist users who are interested in retrieving comprehensive search results for studies such as in longitudinal studies. Cuban Americans,Hispanic Americans,Latin Americans, US,Latinas,Latinos,Latinx,Puerto Ricans,Spanish Americans,Hispanics,American, Hispanic,American, US Latin,Cuban American,Hispanic American,Hispanic or Latinos,Latin American, US,Latina,Latino,Puerto Rican,Spanish American,US Latin American,US Latin Americans

Related Publications

Jackelyn Hidalgo-Mendez, and Thomas G Power, and Jennifer Orlet Fisher, and Teresia M O'Connor, and Sheryl O Hughes
January 2011, Public health nursing (Boston, Mass.),
Jackelyn Hidalgo-Mendez, and Thomas G Power, and Jennifer Orlet Fisher, and Teresia M O'Connor, and Sheryl O Hughes
May 2000, The American journal of clinical nutrition,
Jackelyn Hidalgo-Mendez, and Thomas G Power, and Jennifer Orlet Fisher, and Teresia M O'Connor, and Sheryl O Hughes
May 2012, The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity,
Jackelyn Hidalgo-Mendez, and Thomas G Power, and Jennifer Orlet Fisher, and Teresia M O'Connor, and Sheryl O Hughes
January 2019, Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBP,
Jackelyn Hidalgo-Mendez, and Thomas G Power, and Jennifer Orlet Fisher, and Teresia M O'Connor, and Sheryl O Hughes
January 2019, Global qualitative nursing research,
Jackelyn Hidalgo-Mendez, and Thomas G Power, and Jennifer Orlet Fisher, and Teresia M O'Connor, and Sheryl O Hughes
August 2011, International journal of pediatric obesity : IJPO : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity,
Jackelyn Hidalgo-Mendez, and Thomas G Power, and Jennifer Orlet Fisher, and Teresia M O'Connor, and Sheryl O Hughes
January 2021, International journal of environmental research and public health,
Jackelyn Hidalgo-Mendez, and Thomas G Power, and Jennifer Orlet Fisher, and Teresia M O'Connor, and Sheryl O Hughes
January 2016, Journal of obesity,
Jackelyn Hidalgo-Mendez, and Thomas G Power, and Jennifer Orlet Fisher, and Teresia M O'Connor, and Sheryl O Hughes
November 2018, European journal of clinical nutrition,
Jackelyn Hidalgo-Mendez, and Thomas G Power, and Jennifer Orlet Fisher, and Teresia M O'Connor, and Sheryl O Hughes
January 2003, Nutrition and health,
Copied contents to your clipboard!