Maternal parenting styles and ecological momentary assessment of maternal feeding practices and child food intake across middle childhood to early adolescence

Abstract

Background: Maternal parenting styles are salient trait-based factors associated with pediatric obesity risk. The purpose of this study was to examine the longitudinal associations of maternal parenting styles and ecological momentary assessment (EMA) measures of maternal feeding practices and child food intake across middle childhood to early adolescence. Methods: Mother-child dyads (n = 186; M baseline child age = 10.03 ± 0.89) enrolled in a six-wave bi-annual longitudinal study. At baseline, mothers completed a self-report measure of parenting styles. At each of the six waves, mothers and children completed EMA prompts of parenting practices and food intake, respectively, for eight days. Results: Children of mothers who reported a more permissive style consumed more pastries/sweets. Children of mothers who reported a more authoritative style decreased likelihood of pastry/sweets consumption with age, and children of mothers who reported a less authoritative style increased likelihood of pastry/sweets consumption with age. The likelihood of fruit/vegetable consumption decreased with age among children of mothers who reported a more authoritarian style, and the likelihood increased among children of mothers with a less authoritarian style. Mothers who either reported a more authoritarian style or a less authoritative style were more likely to report using food as a reward. Discussion: Results highlight the importance of maternal parenting styles in relation to child food intake and instrumental feeding.