Late adolescents' perceptions of their caregiver's feeding styles and practices and those they will use with their own children.
The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of late adolescents regarding their caregivers' feeding styles and practices and their perceptions of those they plan to use with their children. The 546 subjects were from a randomly selected sample of 1,000, nonparenting, 18 to 23-year old college students who responded to a questionnaire. Two distinct feeding styles emerged: adult-controlled and cooperative. The adult-controlled style reflects a perception of control which the adult decides what and how much a child will eat. The cooperative style reflects shared control where the adult decides what food will be presented and the child decides how much and whether to eat. Chi-square analysis of the relationship between subjects' perceptions of their caregivers' feeding styles and their perceptions of the styles they believe they will use with their children, resulted in a positive association. To examine perceived past and future feeding practices, a Pearson's r was computed on subscales from a factor analysis. Results indicated positive correlations between subjects' perceived past and future feeding practices. These results suggest generational transmission of feeding styles and practices. A recommendation is made for parent and nutrition educators to focus on both parenting styles and feeding practices.
Fletcher
J
J
Child, Family and Consumer Studies, College of Agriculture, University of Idaho, Moscow 83844-3183, USA.
Branen
L J
LJ
Lawrence
A
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D002648:Child; D053198:Child Nutrition Sciences / Q000193:education; D003479:Curriculum; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D010553:Personality Development; D012494:Sampling Studies; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology