The impact of environmental, parental and child factors on health-related behaviors among low-income children.
Multi-level factors act in concert to influence child weight-related behaviors. This study examined the simultaneous impact of variables obtained at the level of the home environment (e.g., mealtime ritualization), parent (e.g., modeling) and child (e.g., satiety responsiveness) with the outcomes of practicing healthy and limiting unhealthy child behaviors (PHCB and LUCB, respectively) in a low-income U.S.



This was a cross sectional study of caregivers of preschool children (n = 432). Caregivers were interviewed using validated scales. Structural equation modeling was used to examine associations with the outcomes. Adjusting for study region, demographics and caregiver's body mass index, we found significant associations between PHCB and higher mealtime ritualizations (β: 0.21, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.11; 0.32, more parental modeling (β: 0.39, 95% CI: 0.27; 0.49) and less parental restrictive behavior (β: -0.19, 95% CI: -0.29; -0.10). More parental covert control (β: 0.44, 95% CI: 0.35; 0.54), more parental overt control (β: 0.14, 95% CI: 0.03; 0.25) and less parental permissive behavior (β: -0.25, 95% CI: -0.34; -0.09) were significantly associated with LUCB. Findings suggest the synergistic effects of mealtime ritualizations and covert control at the environmental-level and parental modeling, overt control, restrictive and permissive behavior at the parent-level on the outcomes. Most factors are modifiable and support multidisciplinary interventions that promote healthy child weight-related behaviors.
Family Resiliency Center, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2031 Doris Kelley Christopher Hall, 904 W. Nevada, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. Electronic address: smusaad@illinois.edu.
Salma M A
SMA
Musaad
Department of Family Studies and Human Development, Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Arizona, 650 N Park Ave, 315-L McClelland Park, Tucson, AZ, 85721-0078, USA. Electronic address: kspeirs@email.arizona.edu.
Katherine E
KE
Speirs
University of Nevada, Reno, Human Development and Family Studies, 1664 N. Virginia St./Mail Stop 0140, Reno, NV 89557, USA. Electronic address: jennah@unr.edu.
Jenna T
JT
Hayes
Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Connecticut, 3624 Horsebarn Road Extension Unit 4017, Storrs, CT 06269-4017, USA. Electronic address: amy.mobley@uconn.edu.
Amy R
AR
Mobley
Department of Nutritional Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 26 Nichol Avenue, Room 229A, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA. Electronic address: nurgul.fitzgerald@rutgers.edu.
Nurgul
N
Fitzgerald
Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue University, 1202 W. State St., West Lafayette, IN 47907-2055, USA. Electronic address: blakejones@purdue.edu.
Blake L
BL
Jones
University of Nevada, Reno Cooperative Extension, 8050 Paradise Rd., Suite 100, Las Vegas, NV 89123, USA. Electronic address: angela.vanbrackle@nmss.org.
Angela
A
VanBrackle
University of Nevada, Reno Cooperative Extension, 8050 Paradise Rd., Suite 100, Las Vegas, NV 89123, USA. Electronic address: sigman-grantm@unce.unr.edu.
Madeleine
M
Sigman-Grant
D000328:Adult; D001835:Body Weight; D002562:Ceremonial Behavior; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004777:Environment; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008297:Male; D062407:Meals; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting; D010290:Parents; D010541:Permissiveness; D011203:Poverty; D012528:Satiety Response; D012931:Social Environment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
Child weight-related behaviors; Home environment; Parent feeding behavior; Parenting behavior; Structural equation modeling