Observed infant food cue responsivity: Associations with maternal report of infant eating behavior, breastfeeding, and infant weight gain.
Infant obesity and the rate of weight gain during infancy are significant public health concerns, but few studies have examined eating behaviors in infancy. Food cue responsivity has been described as a key contributor to obesity risk in school age children and adults, but has been rarely examined during infancy. The purpose of the current study was to test among 30 infants aged 6-12 months the hypotheses that infants would show greater interest in food versus non-food stimuli, and that greater birth weight, greater rate of weight gain during infancy, greater mother-reported food responsiveness, being formula versus breastmilk fed, and higher maternal body mass index, would each be associated with greater interest in the food versus non-food stimulus. Results showed that overall infants showed a preference for the food versus non-food stimulus. Preference for the food versus non-food stimulus was predicted by greater infant rate of weight gain since birth, greater maternal-reported infant food responsiveness, and having been exclusively formula-fed, but not by any other factor tested. Results are discussed with regard to theoretical implications for the study of infant obesity and applied prevention implications.
Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
Elizabeth
E
Buvinger
Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States; Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
Katherine
K
Rosenblum
Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States; Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
Alison L
AL
Miller
Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States; Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
Niko A
NA
Kaciroti
Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States; Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States; Department of Nutritional Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States. Electronic address: jlumeng@umich.edu.
Julie C
JC
Lumeng
D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D001724:Birth Weight; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001903:Bottle Feeding; D001942:Breast Feeding; D003463:Cues; D004435:Eating; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018730:Infant Behavior; D007225:Infant Food; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000209:etiology; D015430:Weight Gain; D055815:Young Adult
Eating behaviors; Infancy