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Parental feeding practices are associated with children's eating, but little is known about how childcare staff feeding practices relate to children's eating. The study examined the associations between childcare staff feeding practices and children's willingness-to-try-new-foods. Participants included children (n = 460), ages 3-5 years, and childcare staff (n = 91) recruited from 51 childcare centers in 10 Maryland counties. Feeding practices were measured using the Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire (CFPQ) adapted to the childcare setting. Children's willingness-to-try-new-foods was assessed using a food tasting activity administered in the childcare centers. Confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses were used to evaluate the factor structure of the CFPQ applied to childcare staff, and to identify modified factor structures. Logistic regressions assessed the association between childcare staff feeding practices and children's willingness-to-try-new-foods (categorized as high vs. low). Among this sample, a revised 7-factor, 32-item model, including encourage balance and variety, environment, healthy eating guidance, indulgent, monitoring, pressure, and restriction for health was identified. Children exposed to more indulgent feeding practices in the classroom had 2.13 (95% CI: 1.04, 4.37) times the odds of demonstrating high willingness-to-try-new-foods compared to children exposed to less frequent use of this feeding practice, with no associations among other feeding practices. Understanding mechanisms driving childcare staff feeding practices and their relation to children's eating behavior can inform interventions that promote healthy eating behaviors among young children., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest No competing interests of any authors or persons related to this research are declared., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

The distribution of the kappa opioid receptor mRNA in adult mouse brain has been determined using the technique of in situ hybridization histochemistry. The mRNA for the kappa opioid receptor was expressed in distinct areas throughout the brain. The telencephalon showed high levels of expression in the deeper layers of the parietal and temporal cortex, olfactory tubercle, nucleus accumbens, claustrum, endopiriform nucleus, nucleus of the vertical and horizontal limb of the diagonal band, and medial and central nuclei of the amygdala. In the diencephalon, kappa opioid receptor mRNA was present in multiple medial thalamic nuclei including the centromedial, paraventricular, parafasicular, central, and peritenial nuclei, as well as in most hypothalamic nuclei including the ventromedial, periventricular, supraoptic, arcuate, and dorsomedial nuclei. The mesencephalon showed highest levels of kappa receptor mRNA in the substantia nigra pars compacta, ventral tegmental area, zona incerta, interpeduncular nucleus, superior colliculus, inferior colliculus, central grey, and the raphe nucleus. In the metencephalon, kappa opioid receptor mRNA was expressed in the parabrachial nuclei, locus coeruleus, dorsal and ventral tegmental nuclei, and the raphe pontine nuclei. The distribution of the kappa receptor mRNA closely coincides with the localization of binding sites in rat brain for [3H]U-69,593, a specific kappa 1 opioid receptor ligand. The mRNA distribution also correlates with neuroanatomical sites of actions of kappa agonists and distribution of the endogenous kappa receptor ligand dynorphin.