Development of a questionnaire to assess maternal attitudes towards infant growth and milk feeding practices

Abstract Background Childhood obesity remains a significant public health problem. To date, most research on the causes and correlates of obesity has focused on a small number of direct predictors of obesity rather than testing complex models that address the multifactorial nature of the origins of obesity in early development. We describe the rationale and methods of iGrow (Infant Growth and Development Study) which will test multiple pathways by which (a) prenatal maternal psychobiological risk predicts infant weight gain over the first 6 months of life, and (b) this early weight gain confers risk for obesity at age 2. Infant hormonal and psychobiological risk are proposed mediators from prenatal risk to early weight gain, though these are moderated by early maternal sensitivity and obesogenic feeding practices. In addition, higher maternal sensitivity and lower obesogenic feeding practices are proposed predictors of adaptive child self-regulation in the second year of life, and all three are proposed to buffer/reduce the association between high early infant weight gain and obesity risk at age 2. Methods iGrow is a prospective, longitudinal community-based study of 300 diverse mothers and infants to be followed across 5 data waves from pregnancy until children are age 2. Key measures include (a) maternal reports of demographics, stress, well-being, feeding practices and child characteristics and health; (b) direct observation of maternal and infant behavior during feeding, play, and distress-eliciting tasks during which infant heart rate is recorded to derive measures of vagal withdrawal; (c) anthropometric measures of mothers and infants; and (d) assays of maternal prenatal blood and infant saliva and urine. A host of demographic and other potential confounds will be considered as potential covariates in structural equation models that include tests of mediation and moderation. Efforts to mitigate the deleterious effects of COVID-19 on study success are detailed. Discussion This study has the potential to inform (1) basic science about early life processes casually related to childhood obesity and (2) development of targeted intervention and prevention approaches that consider mother, infant, and family risks and resources.

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A survey of antimicrobial usage on dairy farms and waste milk feeding practices in England and Wales

Veterinary Record ◽

10.1136/vr.100924 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 171 (12) ◽

pp. 296-296 ◽

Cited By ~ 48

Author(s):

L. A. Brunton ◽

D. Duncan ◽

N. G. Coldham ◽

L. C. Snow ◽

J. R. Jones

Keyword(s):

Dairy Farms ◽

Feeding Practices ◽

England And Wales ◽

Antimicrobial Usage ◽

Waste Milk ◽

Milk Feeding

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Does maternal autonomy influence feeding practices and infant growth in rural India?

Social Science & Medicine ◽

10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.05.040 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 73 (3) ◽

pp. 447-455 ◽

Cited By ~ 91

Author(s):

Monal R. Shroff ◽

Paula L. Griffiths ◽

Chirayath Suchindran ◽

Balakrishna Nagalla ◽

Shahnaz Vazir ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Feeding Practices ◽

Infant Growth ◽

Rural India ◽

Maternal Autonomy

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Maternal attitudes and child-feeding practices: relationship with the BMI of Chilean children

Nutrition Journal ◽

10.1186/1475-2891-8-37 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Christiaan Mulder ◽

Juliana Kain ◽

Ricardo Uauy ◽

Jaap C Seidell

Keyword(s):

Feeding Practices ◽

Child Feeding ◽

Maternal Attitudes ◽

Child Feeding Practices

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The Feeding Practices and Structure Questionnaire: development and validation of age appropriate versions for infants and toddlers

International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity ◽

10.1186/s12966-021-01079-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

Author(s):

E. Jansen ◽

C. G. Russell ◽

J. Appleton ◽

R. Byrne ◽

L. A. Daniels ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Feeding Practices ◽

Structure Questionnaire ◽

Infants And Toddlers ◽

Older Children ◽

Internal Reliability ◽

Parental Feeding Practices ◽

Parental Feeding ◽

Acceptable Model ◽

Age Appropriate ◽

Milk Feeding

Abstract Background In order to measure and understand trajectories of parental feeding practices and their relationship with child eating and weight, it is desirable to perform assessment from infancy and across time, in age-appropriate ways. While many feeding practices questionnaires exist, none is presently available that enables tracking of feeding practices from infancy through childhood. The aim of the study was to develop a version of the Feeding Practices and Structure Questionnaire (FPSQ) for parents with infants and toddlers (< 2 years) to be used in conjunction with the original FPSQ for older children (≥2 years) to measure feeding practices related to non-responsiveness and structure across childhood. Methods Constructs and items for the FPSQ for infants and toddlers were derived from the existing and validated FPSQ for older children and supplemented by a review of the literature on infant feeding questionnaires. Following expert review, two versions of the questionnaire were developed, one for milk feeding parents and one for solid feeding parents. Data from two studies were combined (child ages 0–24 months) to test the derived constructs with Confirmatory Factor Analysis for the milk feeding (N = 731) and solid feeding (N = 611) versions. Results The milk feeding version consisted of four factors (18 items) and showed acceptable model fit and good internal reliability: ‘feeding on demand vs. feeding routine’ (α = 0.87), ‘using food to calm’ (α = 0.87), ‘persuasive feeding’ (α = 0.71), ‘parent-led feeding’ (α = 0.79). The same four factors showed acceptable model fit for the solid feeding version (21 items), likewise with good internal reliability (α = 0.74, 0.86, 0.85, 0.84 respectively). Two additional factors (13 items) were developed for the solid feeding version that appeared developmentally appropriate only for children aged 12 months or older: ‘family meal environment’ (α = 0.81) and ‘using (non-)food rewards’ (α = 0.92). The majority of factor-factor correlations were in line with those of the original FPSQ. Conclusions The FPSQ milk and solid feeding versions are the first measures specifically developed as precursors to the FPSQ to measure parental feeding practices in children < 2 years, particularly practices related to non-responsiveness and structure. Further validation in more diverse samples is required.

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A detailed exploration of early infant milk feeding in a prospective birth cohort study in Ireland: combination feeding of breast milk and infant formula and early breast-feeding cessation

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s0007114520001324 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 124 (4) ◽

pp. 440-449 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Andrea Hemmingway ◽

Dawn Fisher ◽

Teresa Berkery ◽

Eugene Dempsey ◽

Deirdre M. Murray ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Milk ◽

Infant Formula ◽

Breast Feeding ◽

Feeding Practices ◽

Birth Cohort Study ◽

Valuable Insight ◽

Professional Advice ◽

Feeding Difficulties ◽

Feeding Duration ◽

Milk Feeding

AbstractBreast-feeding initiation and continuation rates in the UK and Ireland are low relative to many European countries. As a core outcome of the prospective Cork Nutrition and Development Maternal-Infant Cohort (COMBINE) study (Cork, Ireland), we aimed to describe infant milk feeding practices in detail and examine the prevalence and impact of combination feeding of breast milk and infant formula on breast-feeding duration. COMBINE recruited 456 nulliparous mothers (2015–2017) for maternal–infant follow-up via interview at hospital discharge (median 3 (interquartile range (IQR) 2, 4) d (n 453)), 1 (n 418), 2 (n 392), 4 (n 366), 6 (n 362) and 9 (n 345) months of age. Median maternal age was 32 (IQR 29, 34) years, 97 % of mothers were of white ethnicity, 79 % were Irish-born and 75 % were college-educated. Overall, 75 % breastfed to any extent at discharge and 44 % breastfed solely. At 1, 2, 4, 6 and 9 months, respectively, 40, 36, 33, 24 and 19 % breastfed solely. Combination feeding of breast milk and infant formula was common at discharge (31 %) and 1 month (20 %). Reasons for combination feeding at 1 month included perceived/actual hunger (30 %), healthcare professional advice (31 %) and breast-feeding difficulties (13 %). Of mothers who breastfed to any extent at discharge, 45 % stopped within 4 months. Mothers who combination fed were more likely to cease breast-feeding than those who breastfed solely (relative risk 2·3 by 1 month and 12·0 by 2 months). These granular data provide valuable insight to early milk feeding practices and indicate that supporting early breast-feeding without formula use may be key to the successful continuation of breast-feeding.

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The Feeding Practices and Structure Questionnaire: development and validation of age appropriate versions for infants and toddlers

10.21203/rs.3.rs-47977/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Elena Jansen ◽

Georgie Russell ◽

Jessica Appleton ◽

Rebecca Byrne ◽

Lynne Daniels ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Infant Feeding ◽

Feeding Practices ◽

Model Fit ◽

Structure Questionnaire ◽

Infants And Toddlers ◽

Internal Reliability ◽

Parental Feeding Practices ◽

Parental Feeding ◽

Acceptable Model ◽

Milk Feeding

Abstract Background: A large range of questionnaires is available to assess parental feeding practices. Most have been developed for and are used with children aged two years and older. To measure and better understand trajectories of feeding and their relationship with child eating behaviours and weight in the long term, assessment from infancy is desirable. While questionnaires also exist to measure feeding practices of parents with infants, no questionnaire is available that allows tracking of feeding practices across time, from infancy through childhood. The aim of the study was to develop a version of the Feeding Practices and Structure Questionnaire (FPSQ) for parents with infants and toddlers.Methods: Constructs and items for the FPSQ for infants and toddlers were derived from the existing and validated FPSQ for older children and supplemented by a review of the literature on infant feeding questionnaires. Following expert review, two versions of the questionnaire were developed, one for milk feeding parents and one for solid feeding parents. Data from two studies were combined (child ages 0-24 months) to test the derived constructs with Confirmatory Factor Analysis for the milk feeding (N=731) and solid feeding (N=611) versions. Results: The milk feeding version consisted of four factors (18 items) and showed acceptable model fit and good internal reliability: ‘feeding on demand vs. feeding routine’ (α= 0.87), ‘using food to calm’ (α= 0.87), ‘persuasive feeding’ (α= 0.71), ‘parent-led feeding’ (α= 0.79). The same four factors showed acceptable model fit for the solid feeding version (21 items), likewise with good internal reliability (α= 0.74, 0.86, 0.85, 0.84 respectively). Two additional factors (13 items) were developed for the solid feeding version that appeared developmentally appropriate only for children aged 12 months or older: ‘family meal environment’ (α= 0.81) and ‘using (non-)food rewards’ (α= 0.92). The majority of factor-factor correlations were in line with those of the original FPSQ.Conclusions: The FPSQ milk and solid feeding versions are the first measures specifically developed as precursors to the FPSQ to measure parental feeding practices in children <2 years, particularly those related to non-responsiveness and structure. Further validation in more diverse samples is required.MeSH terms:Infant, Feeding behaviour, Parents, Body weight

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The Feeding Practices and Structure Questionnaire: development and validation of age appropriate versions for infants and toddlers

10.21203/rs.3.rs-47977/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Elena Jansen ◽

Georgie Russell ◽

Jessica Appleton ◽

Rebecca Byrne ◽

Lynne Daniels ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Feeding Practices ◽

Structure Questionnaire ◽

Infants And Toddlers ◽

Older Children ◽

Internal Reliability ◽

Parental Feeding Practices ◽

Parental Feeding ◽

Acceptable Model ◽

Age Appropriate ◽

Milk Feeding

Abstract Background: In order to measure and understand trajectories of parental feeding practices and their relationship with child eating and weight, it is desirable to perform assessment from infancy and across time, in age-appropriate ways. While many feeding practices questionnaires exist, none is presently available that enables tracking of feeding practices from infancy through childhood. The aim of the study was to develop a version of the Feeding Practices and Structure Questionnaire (FPSQ) for parents with infants and toddlers (<2 years) to be used in conjunction with the original FPSQ for older children (≥2 years) to measure feeding practices related to non-responsiveness and structure across childhood. Methods: Constructs and items for the FPSQ for infants and toddlers were derived from the existing and validated FPSQ for older children and supplemented by a review of the literature on infant feeding questionnaires. Following expert review, two versions of the questionnaire were developed, one for milk feeding parents and one for solid feeding parents. Data from two studies were combined (child ages 0-24 months) to test the derived constructs with Confirmatory Factor Analysis for the milk feeding (N=731) and solid feeding (N=611) versions. Results: The milk feeding version consisted of four factors (18 items) and showed acceptable model fit and good internal reliability: ‘feeding on demand vs. feeding routine’ (α= 0.87), ‘using food to calm’ (α= 0.87), ‘persuasive feeding’ (α= 0.71), ‘parent-led feeding’ (α= 0.79). The same four factors showed acceptable model fit for the solid feeding version (21 items), likewise with good internal reliability (α= 0.74, 0.86, 0.85, 0.84 respectively). Two additional factors (13 items) were developed for the solid feeding version that appeared developmentally appropriate only for children aged 12 months or older: ‘family meal environment’ (α= 0.81) and ‘using (non-)food rewards’ (α= 0.92). The majority of factor-factor correlations were in line with those of the original FPSQ. Conclusions: The FPSQ milk and solid feeding versions are the first measures specifically developed as precursors to the FPSQ to measure parental feeding practices in children <2 years, particularly practices related to non-responsiveness and structure. Further validation in more diverse samples is required.

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