Health behavior and weight changes among ethnic and racial minority preschoolers and their parents: Associations across 1 year

Abstract

Objective To determine whether parent health behavior changes and feeding practices were associated with child changes in body mass index z-score and related health behaviors over the course of 1 year. Methods Anthropometric data from 590 child-parent dyads of ethnic/racial minority groups were collected at baseline, 14 weeks (postintervention), and 1-year follow-up. Additionally, parent screen time and feeding practices and child dietary consumption, diet quality, physical activity, and screen time were collected. Results Random effects growth models revealed that changes in child screen time moved in tandem with parent screen time from baseline to 14-week postintervention and from postintervention to 1-year follow-up. Greater parental monitoring predicted greater reduction in child calorie consumption at 1 year. Conclusions Future studies should include innovative ways to explicitly involve parents in prevention efforts.