title: Child-feeding practices among Chinese-American and non-Hispanic white caregivers.
abstract: This study compared child-feeding and related practices with child weight status between Chinese-American and non-Hispanic white caregivers who attended three community health centers. Study participants were caregivers of 50 Chinese-American and 108 non-Hispanic white children aged 2-12 years who completed a short version of the child feeding questionnaire in English or Chinese. The feeding behaviors assessed were concern, pressure, restriction, and monitoring. Child body mass index (BMI) z-scores were calculated from child weight and height measured in clinic by clinicians trained in anthropometrics. The sample was stratified into 2-5 and 6-12 years age groups to account for developmental differences. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was moderate to high and similar by ethnicity for all four behaviors for Chinese-Americans and non-Hispanic whites. In models adjusted for confounding variables, Chinese-American caregivers had higher mean scores than non-Hispanic white caregivers for concern and restriction in all age groups and monitoring in 2-5 year-olds. No feeding practices were associated with child BMI in Chinese-Americans; concern and restriction were associated with child BMI in non-Hispanic whites in 2-5 year-olds. These results suggest that differences in child-feeding practices exist between Chinese-American and non-Hispanic white caregivers.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104-4399, USA.
authors.forename: Shirley H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Elizabeth P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Parks
authors.forename: Shiriki K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Kumanyika
authors.forename: Sonya A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Grier
authors.forename: Justine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shults
authors.forename: Virginia A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Stallings
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Stettler
mesh_terms: D001213:Asian; D032763:Behavior Control; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight / Q000208:ethnology; D017028:Caregivers; D002648:Child; D002668:Child Rearing / Q000208:ethnology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004032:Diet / Q000208:ethnology; D004034:Diet Surveys; D005006:Ethnicity; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000208:ethnology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D044465:White People