Searle Bonnie-Ria E, Harris Holly A, Thorpe Karen, Jansen Elena
Centre for Children's Health Research, 62 Graham St, South Brisbane, QLD, 4101, Australia.
Appetite. 2020 Aug 1;151:104680. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2020.104680. Epub 2020 Mar 26.
Fussy eating is a nuanced, mealtime-specific behaviour associated with difficult temperament but has been rarely examined within the context of mealtime structure. The aim of this study was to a) examine associations between child temperament, and mothers' and fathers' structure-related feeding practices and b) explore whether these associations were mediated by child fussy eating. Cohabiting mother-father pairs (N = 205) of children aged between 2- to 5-years residing in a socioeconomically disadvantaged Australian city completed self-reported, validated measures of child temperament, food fussiness and structure-related feeding practices (structured meal timing, structured meal setting and family meal setting). Child temperament was associated with maternal and paternal structure-related feeding practices, such that more difficult temperament was associated with less mealtime structure. Mothers' perception of child food fussiness mediated the relationship between difficult temperament and increased provision of alternative meals to the child from the rest of the family. Additionally, mothers' and fathers' perception of child food fussiness mediated the relationship between difficult child temperament and lower frequency of sitting at a table together for family meals. Therefore, perceptions of child food fussiness may explain why mothers and fathers use less structure at mealtimes with children who have more difficult temperaments. These results suggests that similar intervention approaches can be used for both mothers and fathers from socioeconomically disadvantaged families to target fussy eating and structure the mealtime environment. Promoting mealtime structure to facilitate parents' appropriate responses to food refusal or difficult behaviour at mealtimes is indicated.
挑食是一种细微的、特定于用餐时间的行为，与难养型气质相关，但在进餐时间结构的背景下很少受到研究。本研究的目的是：a）研究儿童气质与父母与结构相关的喂养方式之间的关联；b）探讨这些关联是否通过儿童挑食来介导。居住在澳大利亚一个社会经济条件不利城市的2至5岁儿童的同居父母对（N = 205）完成了关于儿童气质、食物挑剔程度和与结构相关的喂养方式（结构化用餐时间、结构化用餐环境和家庭用餐环境）的自我报告、经过验证的测量。儿童气质与母亲和父亲与结构相关的喂养方式有关，即气质越难养，进餐时间结构越少。母亲对儿童食物挑剔程度的认知介导了难养型气质与家庭其他成员为孩子提供更多替代餐之间的关系。此外，母亲和父亲对儿童食物挑剔程度的认知介导了儿童难养型气质与一起坐在餐桌旁吃家庭餐的频率较低之间的关系。因此，对儿童食物挑剔程度的认知可能解释了为什么父母在与气质较难养的孩子用餐时使用的结构较少。这些结果表明，对于社会经济条件不利家庭的母亲和父亲，可以采用类似的干预方法来解决挑食问题并构建用餐时间环境。建议促进进餐时间结构，以帮助父母在进餐时对食物拒绝或困难行为做出适当反应。
