Department of Human Development & Family Studies, University of Rhode Island, 2 Lower College, Kingston, RI, 02881, USA.
Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Rhode Island, 41 Lower College, Kingston, RI, 02881, USA.
Appetite. 2019 Mar 1;134:148-154. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2018.12.010. Epub 2018 Dec 30.
Modifiable aspects of the family environment that contribute to overweight in younger children have been identified, including parental feeding practices, child eating behaviors, and parenting practices related to eating and household routines. Maternal depression influences many of these factors, yet research examining pathways that may link maternal depression through the family environment to child weight is lacking. The current study examined parental feeding practices, child eating behaviors, and eating and household routines as potential mediators between maternal depressive symptoms and child weight at age six. The study also tested for differential effects of early versus concurrent maternal depressive symptoms.
Longitudinal data on 1130 mothers and their children who participated in the Infant Feeding Practices Study II (IFSP II) and its Year 6 Follow-Up study were analyzed. A multi-step, multiple mediator model assessed direct and indirect relationships between early depressive symptoms (two months post-partum) and concurrent depressive symptoms with child Body Mass Index (BMI) z scores at age six. Potential mediators included parental feeding practices, child eating behaviors, and eating and household routines.
Higher early depressive symptoms directly explained lower child BMI z scores. Early depression also worked through concurrent depression, the child's food responsiveness, and the hours the child slept on week nights to explain higher child BMI z scores. Parental efforts to make sure the child eats enough directly predicted lower child weight but did not mediate the effects of early or concurrent maternal depressive symptoms.
The findings suggest the need for greater attention to the relationships between maternal depression and child weight as a critical step toward developing effective obesity prevention strategies.
已经确定了家庭环境中可改变的方面，这些方面会导致幼儿超重，包括父母的喂养方式、儿童的进食行为以及与饮食和家庭常规相关的育儿行为。母亲的抑郁会影响到其中的许多因素，但缺乏研究来探讨可能通过家庭环境将母亲的抑郁与孩子的体重联系起来的途径。本研究考察了父母的喂养方式、儿童的进食行为以及饮食和家庭常规，作为母亲抑郁症状与 6 岁儿童体重之间的潜在中介因素。该研究还测试了早期与同期母亲抑郁症状的差异影响。
对参与婴儿喂养实践研究 II（IFSP II）及其 6 岁随访研究的 1130 名母亲及其子女的纵向数据进行了分析。采用多步骤、多中介模型评估了早期抑郁症状（产后两个月）与同期抑郁症状与 6 岁儿童体重指数（BMI）z 分数之间的直接和间接关系。潜在的中介因素包括父母的喂养方式、儿童的进食行为以及饮食和家庭常规。
较高的早期抑郁症状直接解释了儿童 BMI z 分数较低。早期抑郁还通过同期抑郁、儿童的食物反应性以及儿童在工作日晚上的睡眠时间来解释更高的儿童 BMI z 分数。父母努力确保孩子吃得足够直接预测孩子的体重较低，但并没有中介早期或同期母亲抑郁症状的影响。
这些发现表明，需要更加关注母亲抑郁和儿童体重之间的关系，这是制定有效的肥胖预防策略的关键一步。
