Affiliation:
1. College of Early Childhood Education, Capital Normal University
2. Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
3. Department of Early Childhood Education, Shanghai Normal University
4. School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University
Abstract
Abstract
Objective
To examine whether mothers’ early-life food insecurity (ELFI), pressuring to eat feeding practices (PEP), and child effortful control (EC) are associated with child dietary intake within and across three Chinese ethnic groups.
Method
Participants included 119 Chinese international immigrants in the United States, 230 urban nonmigrant, and 468 rural-to-urban migrant mothers and preschoolers in China. Mothers reported on their ELFI, PEP, and their children’s EC and dietary intake.
Results
Controlling for maternal and child body mass index, age, and gender, multiple group path analyses revealed that maternal ELFI was positively associated with PEP in all groups, which in turn was positively associated with child unhealthy diet in all groups, but negatively associated with child fruits and vegetables (F&V) consumption in the urban nonmigrant group only. Also, EC was positively associated with child F&V diet for all groups. Moreover, the indirect effect of ELFI on children’s unhealthy diet through PEP was significant only for immigrant children with lower levels of EC, but not those with higher levels of EC.
Conclusions
Our findings highlighted the long-lasting effect of mothers’ ELFI on their feeding and child eating. Mothers’ pressuring to eat played a central role in the association between their past experiences and children’s diet. Also, children’s poor EC abilities might exacerbate the adverse effect of mothers’ ELFI through PEP, resulting in more unhealthy eating. These findings can contribute to the design of contextually based intervention/prevention programs that promote young children’s healthy eating through maternal feeding practices and children’s EC abilities.
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Subject
Developmental and Educational Psychology,Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health
Cited by
8 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献