Executive functioning is linked to feeding practices and food insecurity in Head Start mothers

Abstract

Lower executive functioning is associated with more reactive, coercive general parenting practices. Parents who experience poverty, a chronic stressor, may have compromised executive functioning that impacts parenting practices, but less is known about the impact on parent feeding practices. This study examined associations between maternal executive functioning and feeding practices among families living in low-income contexts. Participants included 137 mothers of children enrolled in Head Start who completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult version, Child Feeding Questionnaire, Feeding to Manage Child Behavior Questionnaire, and the USDA Food Security Module. Hierarchical linear regression examined the effect of maternal executive function on maternal feeding practices (monitoring of child food intake, food to soothe, and food as a reward) after adjusting for covariates. The moderating effect of food security on this association was also explored. Mothers were white (90%), non-Hispanic (96%), about half had a high school diploma or less (55%), and a third of households experienced food insecurity (35%). Maternal executive functioning explained 9% of the variance for monitoring of child food intake (β = 0.03, p = 0.0006) and 17% of the variance for food to soothe (β = −0.03, p < 0.0001), over and above the variance explained by food security status, employment status, and child BMI z-score. Lower maternal executive functioning was associated with lower odds of household food security (OR: 0.95, CI: 0.92, 0.99). Targeting maternal executive functioning or its environmental supports may be an effective intervention strategy to promote monitoring and less food to soothe, especially among families who experience stressors related to poverty. Longitudinal research is needed to replicate these findings, and to understand the relationship between parent executive function and child weight outcomes.