Parent feeding restriction and child weight: The mediating role of child disinhibited eating and the moderating role of the parenting context

Abstract

Objective: We had two aims in this study of parenting and young children's eating and weight. The first aim was to test whether the association of parental restriction with young children's higher BMI is dependent on the intervening (i.e., mediating) role of their disinhibited eating. The second aim was to test how the parenting context may change the influence of parent restriction on children's eating. Parenting dimensions of supportiveness and structure were expected to attenuate the positive association between parent restriction and child disinhibited eating, whereas parenting dimensions of coerciveness and chaos were expected to strengthen this association. Methods: Caregivers of children aged 4-8 years (N = 230, 48% female) completed questionnaires and children's height and weight were measured to calculate BMI z-scores. Structural equation modelling and hierarchical regression analyses were conducted. Results: Children's disinhibited eating partially mediated the association between parent restriction and children's BMI. However, restriction was found to be directly associated with children's BMI, and this direct association was stronger than the indirect one. Associations between restriction and children's disinhibited eating differed depending on the parenting context in the feeding domain, including supportiveness, coerciveness and chaotic parenting.