Obesity has been increasingly prevalent in the U.S. over the past decade. The condition leads to many health problems such as type 2 diabetes and increased blood pressure. Emotional and social problems for children are also associated with obesity, and can persist after losing extra weight. The individuals principally responsible for a child’s intake are their parents. This review will focus on one aspect of parental influence on childhood obesity.
Methods:
Parental feeding behavior is a factor associated with increased or decreased probability of a child becoming obese. Studies using the PFSQ (Parental Feeding Style Questionnaire), a questionnaire that categorizes parental behavior into 4 subgroups to determine which children are most at risk for childhood obesity, are the focus of this review. The review criteria included the following: Participants must have children between the ages of 6-12, and include the PFSQ as a primary evaluation measure,. Studies excluded were those which focus on exercise, media influence, and other external factors beyond family influence as principle variables. The studies were published in English, There are six studies included in the review, all of which were conducted in the United States within the past 5 years, and include the PFSQ as the primary assessment tool. Two additional reviews were examined that did not take place in the U.S., one was conducted in Turkey, and another in Hong Kong. The studies examined outside of the U.S. are included to explore cross-cultural applicability.
Results:
Of the four domains identified by the PFSQ (emotional feeding, instrumental feeding, control over eating, and encouragement), three studies found parental emotional and instrumental feeding styles are most closely correlated with increased food intake in the child. Two studies found a correlation between encouragement feeding and decreased food intake. The scale has had limited use across cultures, yet the few studies outside the U.S. indicate the PFSQ may be a useful measure cross-culturally.
Conclusion:
Certain parental feeding behaviors are correlated with increased risk for obesity. Emotional feeding has the highest correlation with increased intake, and encouragement is correlated with decreased intake. More studies should be conducted outside the U.S. to determine the applicability of the tool in different cultures.