Fundamental constructs in food parenting practices: a content map to guide future research

Although research shows that “food parenting practices” can impact children’s diet and eating habits, current understanding of the impact of specific practices has been limited by inconsistencies in terminology and definitions. This article represents a critical appraisal of food parenting practices...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nutrition reviews 2016-02, Vol.74 (2), p.98-117
Main Authors: Vaughn, Amber E., Ward, Dianne S., Fisher, Jennifer O., Faith, Myles S., Hughes, Sheryl O., Kremers, Stef P.J., Musher-Eizenman, Dara R., O’Connor, Teresia M., Patrick, Heather, Power, Thomas G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Childrens health
Coercion
Diet
Eating behavior
Feeding Behavior - psychology
Food
Humans
Influence
Nutrition education
Parent-Child Relations
Parenting
Parents & parenting
Personal Autonomy
Special
Studies
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Although research shows that “food parenting practices” can impact children’s diet and eating habits, current understanding of the impact of specific practices has been limited by inconsistencies in terminology and definitions. This article represents a critical appraisal of food parenting practices, including clear terminology and definitions, by a working group of content experts. The result of this effort was the development of a content map for future research that presents 3 overarching, higher-order food parenting constructs – coercive control, structure, and autonomy support – as well as specific practice subconstructs. Coercive control includes restriction, pressure to eat, threats and bribes, and using food to control negative emotions. Structure includes rules and limits, limited/guided choices, monitoring, meal- and snacktime routines, modeling, food availability and accessibility, food preparation, and unstructured practices. Autonomy support includes nutrition education, child involvement, encouragement, praise, reasoning, and negotiation. Literature on each construct is reviewed, and directions for future research are offered. Clear terminology and definitions should facilitate cross-study comparisons and minimize conflicting findings resulting from previous discrepancies in construct operationalization.
ISSN:0029-6643
1753-4887
DOI:10.1093/nutrit/nuv061