1. Style of meal service and feeding practices among Mexican American fathers and mothers: An analysis of video-recorded children's evening mealtime at home.
- Author
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Penilla, Carlos, Tschann, Jeanne M, Pasch, Lauri A, Flores, Elena, Deardorff, Julianna, Martinez, Suzanna M, Butte, Nancy F, and Greenspan, Louise C
- Subjects
Humans ,Feeding Behavior ,Child Behavior ,Parenting ,Fathers ,Mothers ,Child ,Mexican Americans ,Female ,Male ,Meals ,Childhood obesity ,Mexican American ,Observational data ,Video recordings ,Nutrition ,Prevention ,Clinical Research ,Behavioral and Social Science ,Obesity ,Pediatric ,3.1 Primary prevention interventions to modify behaviours or promote wellbeing ,7.1 Individual care needs ,Prevention of disease and conditions ,and promotion of well-being ,Management of diseases and conditions ,Nutrition & Dietetics - Abstract
The aim of this study was to examine video-recorded observations of evening family mealtime at home among Mexican American children to help elucidate style of meal service, fathers' and mothers' feeding practices and child's eating behavior. Consistent with guidelines for coding behaviors, we analyzed observational data of evening mealtimes of 71 Mexican American children aged eight to 10 years. Regarding style of meal service, in almost all cases (96%), parents plated the child's food, with more available on the table or counter in 40% of the observations. Mothers almost always served the child (94%). Regarding parental feeding practices, parents used positive involvement in meals (80%), pressure to eat (42%) and restriction of food (9%). Using food as a reward to control behavior was never used by either parent. The majority (75%) of children requested or negotiated to eat less food, or only eat certain items. In Mexican American families, both mothers and fathers play a role in family mealtimes and both use positive involvement in child's meals, and to a lesser extent pressure to eat, with their children aged eight to 10 years. To help reduce the obesity epidemic, intervention strategies are needed, which integrate the family, a plating style of meal and parental feeding practices that promote healthy eating in the home. To reduce obesity among Mexican American children, interventions that focus on parental positive involvement in child's meal and maintenance of home cooked meals could have a positive impact on the entire family.
- Published
- 2022