Food parenting practices, family meals, and preschoolers’ dietary intake: A study of Hispanic families with low incomes

Over the last 20 years, numerous studies have helped identify how food parenting practices and family meals are associated with young children's intake of healthy (e.g., fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains) and unhealthy (e.g., added sugars, saturated fats, sugar-sweetened beverages) foods. However, we know of no study to date that has examined the independent contributions of food parenting practices and family meals in predicting young children's dietary quality in the same sample. Because measures assessing food parenting practices and family meals are likely correlated with one another, it is important to understand the independent contributions of each to guide the development and implementation of interventions to promote child health. Hispanic mothers of 3- to 6-year-old children from families with low incomes (N = 253) completed questionnaires assessing their food parenting and family meal practices, as well as a food frequency questionnaire assessing their child's dietary intake. Multiple regressions showed that food parenting practices were most consistently associated with children's dietary intake, with healthy intake (e.g., vegetables, whole grains) primarily associated with feeding structure (i.e., regular timing of meals/snacks, measured portions, and monitoring), and unhealthy intake (e.g., saturated fats, added sugars, sugar-sweetened beverages) positively associated with external control. Restriction showed negative associations with both healthy and unhealthy foods. The only dietary variable independently associated with frequency of family meals was consumption of whole grains. Implications for the design of programs to promote positive child health outcomes are considered.