title: Maternal feeding self-efficacy and fruit and vegetable intakes in infants. Results from the SAIDI study.
abstract: Adequate consumption of fruits and vegetables (FV) is a characteristic of a healthy diet but remains a challenge in nutrition interventions. This cross-sectional study explored the multi-directional relationships between maternal feeding self-efficacy, parenting confidence, child feeding behaviour, exposure to new food and FV intake in a cohort of 277 infants. Mothers with healthy infants weighing ≥2500 g and ≥37 weeks gestation were recruited post-natally from 11 South Australian hospitals. Socio-demographic data were collected at recruitment. At 6 months postnatal, infants were weighed and measured, and mothers completed a questionnaire exploring their perceptions of child feeding behaviour and child exposure to new foods. The questionnaire also included the Short Temperament Scale for Infants, Kessler 10 to measure maternal psychological distress and 5 items measuring maternal feeding self-efficacy. The number of occasions and variety of FV (number of subgroups within food groups) consumed by infants were estimated from a 24-hour dietary recall and 2 days food record. Structural equation modelling was performed using Mplus version 6.11. Median (IQR) variety scores were 2 (1-3) for fruit and 3 (2-5) for vegetable intake. The most popular FV consumed were apple (n = 108, 45.0%) and pumpkin (n = 143, 56.3%). None of the variables studied predicted the variety of child fruit intake. Parenting confidence, exposure to new foods and child feeding behaviour were indirectly related to child vegetable intake through maternal feeding self-efficacy while total number of children negatively predicted child vegetable variety (p < 0.05). This highlights the need for addressing antecedents of maternal feeding self-efficacy and the family eating environment as key strategies towards development of healthy eating in children.
authors.affiliation: Nutrition & Dietetics, School of Medicine, Flinders University, PO Box 2100, Adelaide, Australia. Electronic address: gloria.koh@flinders.edu.au.
authors.forename: Gloria A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Koh
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Australia.
authors.forename: Jane A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.affiliation: Flinders Prevention, Promotion and Primary Health Care, General Practice, Flinders University, PO Box 2100, Adelaide, Australia.
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Woodman
authors.affiliation: Flinders Prevention, Promotion and Primary Health Care, General Practice, Flinders University, PO Box 2100, Adelaide, Australia.
authors.forename: Susan W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation and School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Groove, Qld 4059, Australia.
authors.forename: Lynne A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Daniels
authors.affiliation: Nutrition & Dietetics, School of Medicine, Flinders University, PO Box 2100, Adelaide, Australia.
authors.forename: Anthea M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Magarey
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002755:Choice Behavior; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000523:psychology; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D011247:Pregnancy; D020377:Self Efficacy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014675:Vegetables
keywords: Children; Exposure; Fruit; Intake; Self-efficacy; Vegetable