Children's self-regulation in eating: Associations with inhibitory control and parents' feeding behavior

Abstract

Objective: Children who self-regulate while eating and children who show high global self-regulation abilities, such as inhibitory control, are less likely to be overweight than children who do not show the same capacities for self-regulation. This study examined the association between child self-regulation in eating and inhibitory control, and investigated whether self-regulation is related to parents' restrictive feeding practices. Method: Sixty-three parents reported on their 3- to 9-year-old children's self-regulation in eating, inhibitory control, and their own feeding practices. Results: Self-regulation in eating and inhibitory control were positively correlated, r=.54. Self-regulation in eating predicted parents' use of restrictive feeding practices above and beyond children's inhibitory control and parents' concerns about their children's weight, p