Associations between infant temperament and early feeding practices. A cross-sectional study of Australian mother-infant dyads from the NOURISH randomised controlled trial.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between temperament in Australian infants aged 2-7 months and feeding practices of their first-time mothers (n=698). Associations between feeding practices and beliefs (Infant Feeding Questionnaire) and infant temperament (easy-difficult continuous scale from the Short Temperament Scale for Infants) were tested using linear and binary logistic regression models adjusted for a comprehensive range of covariates. Mothers of infants with a more difficult temperament reported a lower awareness of infant cues, were more likely to use food to calm and reported high concern about overweight and underweight. The covariate maternal depression score largely mirrored these associations. Infant temperament may be an important variable to consider in future research on the prevention of childhood obesity. In practice, mothers of temperamentally difficult infants may need targeted feeding advice to minimise the adoption of undesirable feeding practices.
Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, 60 Musk Avenue, Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia.
Sascha
S
McMeekin
Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, 60 Musk Avenue, Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia.
Elena
E
Jansen
Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, 60 Musk Avenue, Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia.
Kimberley
K
Mallan
Parenting Research Centre, 232 Victoria Parade, East Melbourne, Victoria 3002, Australia; Centre for Learning Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane 4059, Australia.
Jan
J
Nicholson
Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, 60 Musk Avenue, Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia; Nutrition and Dietetics, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia.
Anthea
A
Magarey
Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, 60 Musk Avenue, Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia; Nutrition and Dietetics, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia. Electronic address: l2.daniels@qut.edu.au.
Lynne
L
Daniels
D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000502:physiology*; D016014:Linear Models; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013694:Temperament / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult