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Abstract Nutrition plays a crucial role for the bio-psycho-social growth and development of children. Mother-child pairs’ eating-feeding problems can be hypothesized to relate to the child’s nutritional status and living area. Our focus was to assess maternal attitudes and children’s eating habits in thin and normal-weight children across two cities characterized by distinct socioeconomic and demographic profiles: Ankara and Şanlıurfa. This double case-control study included the mothers whose children are aged between 2 and 7 years old in both cities. Figure Rating Scale, Child Feeding Questionnaire and Behavioral Pediatrics Feeding Assessment Scale were filled by mothers of children. The mothers of thin children were concerned more about the weight of their children, felt more responsible for feeding their children, and use of pressured them to eat more frequently compared to normal-weight children’s mothers in both cities. In Ankara, the duration of breastfeeding is longer, using formula is rarer and starting complementary food on time is more common, mother had higher scores on perceived responsibility, perceived child weight, and concern about child weight subscales; lower score on the restriction subscale compared to Şanlıurfa. Mothers of both thin and normal weight children in Şanlıurfa rated their children as weaker compared to those in Ankara. In conclusion, child eating behaviors and parental feeding practices were associated with the weight of children depending on demographic and sociocultural differences. Implementing customized, location-specific preventive educational initiatives on child feeding will not only foster behavioral changes but also yield valuable insights for shaping future interventions.

Abstract Objective The aim of this study is to investigate the relations of picky eating habit of children with their nutrition, physical activity, screen time and sleep habits in the context of parental picky eating habit. Methods In a cross-sectional study a questionnare was applied to the parents of children aged 6–13 years in two provincies. The cases were analyzed as the overall group and the two subgroups in which both parents are not picky eater, and in which at least one parent was picky eater. Child's risk of being picky eater was analyzed by logistic regression. Results A total of 913 children and parent pairs were included in the study. The risk of picky eating of the child increases 2.85 (AOR: 1.67–4.88) times when only the mother was picky eater, 5.99 (AOR: 3.32–7.52) times when only the father was picky eater, and 22.79 (AOR: 6.95–74.71) times when both of the parents were picky eaters. In the subgroup in which at least one parent was picky eater, it was determined that children with physical activity duration of ≥ 1 h/day and sleep time of ≥ 9 h /day were less likely to be picky eater and the children with screen time of ≥ 2 h/day were more likely to be picky eaters. Conclusion Picky eating habit in childhood is related to the picky eating habit of the parents. In the context of this relationship, the picky eating habit of children is related to sleep, physical activity, screen time and other eating habits.