The Relationships Between Parental Stress, Home Food Environment, and Child Diet Patterns in Families of Preschool Children

Abstract

Purpose: Home food environment, including home food availability and parental food preparation practices, plays a significant role in child diet patterns. Recent evidence suggests that parental psychological stress is related to parental food preparation practices; however, there is limited information about the relationship between parental psychological stress and home food availability. The purpose of the study is to examine the relationships between parental stress, home food availability, child diet patterns, and body mass index (BMI) in families with young children. Design: A secondary data analysis from a mixed-methods design study. Setting: The parent study was conducted in both local and online communities using a web-based survey. Participants: Participants were 256 parents of children aged 2 to 5 years (53.4% white; 41.5% of overweight or obese children). Measures: Parents completed well-validated self-report questionnaires. Analysis: We used latent structural equation modeling using Bayesian analysis. Results: There was a negative relationship between parents’ general stress and healthy food availability at home (β* = −.20, P < .001 for fruits; β* = −.23, P < .001 for vegetables; and β* = −.24, P < .001 for healthy beverage) and a positive relationship between parenting stress and healthy snack and healthy beverage availability (β = .13, P = .03; β = .14, P = .02, respectively). There was no relationship between parental stress and unhealthy food availability at home while unhealthy food availability was significantly associated with child’s unhealthy eating pattern (β* = .86, P < .01 for unhealthy snack; β* = .51, P < .01 for unhealthy beverage). There was no moderating effect of children’s health insurance on the relationships between parental stress and home food availability. Furthermore, child diet patterns were not associated with child BMI. Conclusion: Parental psychological stress is a potentially important intervention target point for improving home food environment and child diet patterns.