Food Insecurity and Obesogenic Maternal Infant Feeding Styles and Practices in Low-Income Families

Abstract Background The prevalence of obesity among children remains high. Given obesity’s significant lifelong consequences, there is great interest in preventing obesity early in life. There is a need to better understand the relation of common infant feeding styles and practices to obesity in infants using longitudinal study designs. There is also an urgent need to understand the role of caregivers other than mothers in feeding. A better understanding of variation in feeding styles and practices can inform the identification of risk groups and the tailoring of interventions to them. Methods In partnership with Early Head Start programs across four counties in southern California, mothers and infants will be enrolled in a two-year longitudinal study collecting survey and anthropometric data. A subsample of mothers and their selected other caregivers will participate in qualitative research involving feeding diaries and dyadic interviews. The results will be used to develop and test an enhanced nutrition education program. Discussion We outline a study methodology to examine feeding styles and practices and their association with early childhood obesity risk and enhance an existing intervention to promote healthy infant feeding and growth among children in low-income families.

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Family Chaos and Household Routines are Associated With Food Insecurity in Low-Income Families

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e617262013-001 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Brenda Koester ◽

Barbara H. Fiese ◽

Craig Gundersen ◽

Meghan Fisher

Keyword(s):

Food Insecurity ◽

Low Income ◽

Family Chaos ◽

Low Income Families

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“You run out of hope:” An Exploration of Low-Income Parents’ Experiences with Food Insecurity using Photovoice

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980021002743 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-21

Author(s):

Payge Lindow ◽

Irene H. Yen ◽

Mingyu Xiao ◽

Cindy W. Leung

Keyword(s):

Food Insecurity ◽

San Francisco ◽

Low Income ◽

Eating Behaviors ◽

Comparative Method ◽

Well Being ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Unhealthy Eating ◽

Low Income Families ◽

The Impact

ABSTRACT Objective: Using an adaption of the Photovoice method, this study explored how food insecurity affected parents’ ability to provide food for their family, their strategies for managing household food insecurity, and the impact of food insecurity on their well-being. Design: Parents submitted photos around their families’ experiences with food insecurity. Afterwards, they completed in-depth, semi-structured interviews about their photos. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed for thematic content using the constant comparative method. Setting: San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA. Subjects: 17 parents (14 mothers and 3 fathers) were recruited from a broader qualitative study on understanding the experiences of food insecurity in low-income families. Results: Four themes were identified from the parents’ photos and interviews. First, parents described multiple aspects of their food environment that promoted unhealthy eating behaviors. Second, parents shared strategies they employed to acquire food with limited resources. Third, parents expressed feelings of shame, guilt, and distress resulting from their experience of food insecurity. And finally, parents described treating their children to special foods to cultivate a sense of normalcy. Conclusions: Parents highlighted the external contributors and internal struggles of their experiences of food insecurity. Additional research to understand the experiences of the food-insecure families may help to improve nutrition interventions targeting this structurally vulnerable population.

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The Relationship Between Feeding Styles and BMI Z-score in Infants (P11-014-19)

Current Developments in Nutrition ◽

10.1093/cdn/nzz048.p11-014-19 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

Author(s):

Amrik Khalsa ◽

Kristen Copeland ◽

Roohi Kharofa ◽

Sheela Geraghty ◽

Thomas DeWitt ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Infant Feeding ◽

Low Income ◽

Z Score ◽

Feeding Styles ◽

Feeding Style ◽

Modifiable Factors ◽

Z Scores ◽

Laissez Faire ◽

The Relationship

Abstract Objectives The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between infant feeding styles (the attitudes and behaviors parents use to direct their child's eating) and infant BMI z-score in a low-income, predominately non-Hispanic Black population. Methods Parent-infant dyads were recruited during the infant's 6, 9, or 12 month well-child visits from two urban primary care clinics that primarily serve a Medicaid population (89%). Feeding styles were measured using the Infant Feeding Style Questionnaire (IFSQ) and categorized into: pressuring, restrictive, responsive, or laissez-faire. Predominant feeding style was defined by selecting the style with the greatest deviation from the mean score of each style. Infant anthropometrics were extracted from the electronic medical record from birth through 18 months. Infant BMI z-scores were calculated based on WHO growth charts. Associations between feeding styles and BMI z-scores were examined using mixed models controlling for multiple measures per person, demographics and feeding covariates. Results Data from 198 dyads were analyzed for this study (Table 1). Parents identified as mothers (n = 196), non-Hispanic Black (n = 136), with a median age of 27 years (IQR 23.0 – 30.0). Half the infants were male (n = 99) with a median age at enrollment of 8.98 months [IQR 6.8-10.3]. Parent's predominant feeding style were (in descending order): Laissez-faire: 30%; Restrictive: 28%; Responsive: 23%; and Pressuring: 19%. Predominant feeding style at enrollment was not associated with BMI z-score between 0–18 months, but there was a significant sex differences in BMI z-score for the Laissez-faire and Restrictive feeding styles (Figure 1). Additionally, parents with higher education and a predominately Restrictive feeding style had children with higher BMI z-scores whereas parents with higher education and a Laissez-faire or Pressuring feeding style had children with lower BMI z-score (Figure 2). Conclusions Parent's predominant feeding style during infancy in a low-income population is not associated with infant's BMI in the first two years of life, but some styles demonstrate differences by sex or parental education. Further studies are needed to better understand the modifiable factors for increased BMI in the first 2 years. Funding Sources NIH T32 Institutional grant. Supporting Tables, Images and/or Graphs

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Maternal Nutrition has Potential to Reduce Food Insecurity: Observations from Low Income Families in SINDH Pakistan

Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics ◽

10.1016/j.jand.2018.06.129 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 118 (9) ◽

pp. A94

Author(s):

R. Hakeem ◽

F. Asar

Keyword(s):

Food Insecurity ◽

Low Income ◽

Maternal Nutrition ◽

Low Income Families

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DOES BREASTFEEDING DURATION INFLUENCE FAMILY FOOD INSECURITY?

Paediatrics & Child Health ◽

10.1093/pch/pxy054.016 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 23 (suppl_1) ◽

pp. e6-e6

Author(s):

Peter Wong ◽

Rosemary Moodie ◽

David Dai ◽

Jonathon Maguire ◽

Catherine Birken ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Policy ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Low Income ◽

Family Income ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Research Network ◽

Breastfeeding Duration ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Adequate Food ◽

Low Income Families

Abstract BACKGROUND Across all demographics, families without consistent access to adequate food place children at health risk. Consequences may persist beyond early life into adulthood. Public policy positions breastfeeding, the ideal nutrition for infants, as an important solution to reducing family food insecurity (FFI). However, few studies have investigated the association between breastfeeding duration and FFI. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the association between total breastfeeding duration and FFI in Canadian urban children. DESIGN/METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted of children aged 0–2 years, from a practice-based child research network. Total breastfeeding duration was collected from parent-reported questionnaires. FFI was measured using 2-item food insecurity and validated 1-item NutriSTEP screens. Multivariable regression analysis was performed adjusting for pre-specified covariates. RESULTS Among 3838 children, the mean total breastfeeding duration was 10.6 months (SD=6.7). Families with food insecurity (14.7%) had increased odds of younger mothers, more males and older and more children. In adjusted model, breastfeeding duration was not associated with FFI (OR 0.99; 95% CI 0.98, 1.01). Low-income families were 9 times more likely to be family food insecure than high-income families (p=0.00). CONCLUSION Contrary to public policy, our study found no association between breastfeeding and family food insecurity (FFI). However, other factors may predominate, in particular family income and structure. Given the detrimental impact of FFI, further research is needed to understand the role of infant feeding practices within the larger political, policy and cultural framework.

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Assessment of infant feeding styles among low-income African-American mothers: Comparing reported and observed behaviors

Appetite ◽

10.1016/j.appet.2007.01.004 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 49 (1) ◽

pp. 131-140 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

Lisa M. Sacco ◽

Margaret E. Bentley ◽

Kenitra Carby-Shields ◽

Judith B. Borja ◽

Barbara D. Goldman

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Infant Feeding ◽

Low Income ◽

African American Mothers ◽

Feeding Styles

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Maternal Feeding Styles and Food Parenting Practices as Predictors of Longitudinal Changes in Weight Status in Hispanic Preschoolers from Low-Income Families

Journal of Obesity ◽

10.1155/2016/7201082 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2016 ◽

pp. 1-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Sheryl O. Hughes ◽

Thomas G. Power ◽

Teresia M. O’Connor ◽

Jennifer Orlet Fisher ◽

Tzu-An Chen

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Parenting Practices ◽

Weight Status ◽

Parent Report ◽

Feeding Styles ◽

Child Weight ◽

Low Income Families ◽

Child Bmi ◽

The Impact ◽

Over Time

Objective. The aim was to investigate the influence of feeding styles and food parenting practices on low-income children’s weight status over time.Method. Participants were 129 Latina parents and their Head Start children participating in a longitudinal study. Children were assessed at baseline (4 to 5 years old) and again eighteen months later. At each time point, parents completed questionnaires and height and weight measures were taken on the child.Results. The indulgent feeding style (parent-report at baseline) was associated with increased child BMIz-score eighteen months later compared to other feeding styles. Authoritative, authoritarian, and uninvolved feeding styles were not significantly associated with increased child BMIz-score. Child BMIz-score at Time 1 (strongest) and maternal acculturation were positive predictors of child BMIz-score at Time 2. Maternal use of restriction positively predicted and maternal monitoring negatively predicted Time 2 BMIz-score, but only when accounting for feeding styles.Conclusion. This is the first study to investigate the impact of feeding styles on child weight status over time. Results suggest that indulgent feeding predicts later increases in children’s weight status. The interplay between feeding styles and food parenting practices in influencing child weight status needs to be further explored.

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