Parenting Styles, Food Parenting Practices and Dietary Intakes of Preschoolers

Abstract

Previous evidence suggests that children’s eating behaviors were largely influenced by the parent and home eating structure. This study examined the relationship between parenting styles (including authoritative, authoritarian, indulgent, and uninvolved), food parenting practices (within Structure, Coercive Control, and Autonomy Support constructs) and dietary intakes of preschoolers. Children aged 3–5 years and their parents were recruited from preschools/daycare centers and parents completed the surveys (n = 166). Dietary intakes were collected using the Harvard Service Food Frequency Questionnaire (HSFFQ), parenting style was assessed using the Parenting Dimensions Inventory-Short Version (PDI-S), and food parenting practices were measured using Comprehensive Home Environment Survey (CHES). The results showed that food parenting practices had a higher number of specific significant findings on children’s nutrient and food group intakes than parenting styles. Correlation analyses showed positive parenting practices within Structure were significantly related to healthier children’s intakes (e.g., vegetables, iron, and folate) and less unhealthy dietary intakes (e.g., sweets and total fats). Regression models show that children with authoritative parents consumed more fruits compared to children with authoritarian parents and indulgent parents. The results addressed the importance of parental influences for preschoolers’ healthy dietary intakes, which suggested that future interventions and educational programs could enhance parenting practices to impact child diet.