title: Association Between Maternal Stress, Work Status, Concern About Child Weight, and Restrictive Feeding Practices in Preschool Children.
abstract: Objectives To examine the relationship between maternal stress, work status, concern about child weight, and the use of restrictive feeding practices among mothers of preschool children. Methods 285 mothers of 2-to-5-year-old children completed an on-line survey. Questions included demographics, items from the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, and the Child Feeding Questionnaire. Linear regression and ANOVA examined the relationship between maternal stress, work hours, concern about child weight, and the use of restrictive practices for one 2-to-5-year-old child living within the home. Results Mothers were 32.6 ± 5.2 years of age and spent 39.7 ± 12.0 h/week at work. Seventy-one percent worked full time. Children were 3.4 ± 1.0 years of age and 51% male. Stress (3.41 ± 0.77, p ≤ 0.001) and concern about child weight (3.41 ± 0.77, p ≤ 0.00) were associated with the use of restrictive feeding practices. Mothers with severe/extremely severe stress used restriction more than mothers with normal stress, respectively (3.63 ± 0.80, 3.30 ± 0.81, p = 0.03). No difference was found among mothers with mild/moderate stress (3.50 ± 0.63, p = 0.06). There was no association between work hours (p = 0.50) or work status (p = 0.91) and the use of restrictive feeding practices. Conclusions Maternal stress and concern about child weight were associated with the use of restrictive feeding practices. Considering the current rates of childhood obesity in the United States, understanding factors that influence a child's food environment is advantageous and can help improve maternal and child health.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, College of Allied Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 1200 North Stonewall, Oklahoma City, OK, 73126, USA.
authors.forename: Katheryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Swyden
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, College of Allied Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 1200 North Stonewall, Oklahoma City, OK, 73126, USA. susan-sisson@ouhsc.edu.
authors.forename: Susan B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Sisson
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development and Family Science, Oklahoma State University, 700 N. Greenwood Avenue, Tulsa, OK, 74106, USA.
authors.forename: Amanda S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, College of Allied Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 1200 North Stonewall, Oklahoma City, OK, 73126, USA.|Center for Public Health and Health Policy, UConn Health, 263 Farmington Avenue, MC 6030, Farmington, CT, 06030, USA.
authors.forename: Karina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lora
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 1200 Children's Avenue, Suite 6100, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA.
authors.forename: Ashley E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Weedn
authors.affiliation: Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA.
authors.forename: Kristen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Copeland
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Allied Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences, 1200 North Stonewall, Oklahoma City, OK, 73126-0901, USA.
authors.forename: Beth
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: DeGrace
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004651:Employment; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D009034:Mother-Child Relations / Q000523:psychology; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D009825:Oklahoma; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Children; Employment; Feeding; Mothers; Psychosocial