title: How do parents' child-feeding behaviours influence child weight? Implications for childhood obesity policy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Parents have some responsibility for children's dietary habits and they are often the focus of public health interventions designed to improve children's diets and thereby reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity. The current UK interventions promote awareness of healthy food choices, but offer little guidance for parents on child-feeding behaviours.
  
  
  METHODS
  A review of recent literature regarding child-feeding behaviours and child weight.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Parents report using a wide range of child-feeding behaviours, including monitoring, pressure to eat and restriction. Restriction of children's eating has most frequently and consistently been associated with child weight gain. Furthermore, there is substantial evidence for a causal relationship between parental restriction and childhood overweight.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Parents may inadvertently promote excess weight gain in childhood by using inappropriate child-feeding behaviours. We recommend the development of interventions to increase awareness of the possible consequences of inappropriate child-feeding behaviours. Parents who are concerned about their child's weight will also require guidance and support in order to adopt more appropriate child-feeding behaviours.
authors: School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S1 4DA, UK. heatherclark22@hotmail.com
authors: H R
authors: HR
authors: Clark
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Goyder
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Bissell
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Blank
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Peters
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009765:Obesity / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D010287:Parent-Child Relations