Department of Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Department of Medical Information, PLA 960th Hospital, Jinan, China.
J Hum Nutr Diet. 2021 Oct;34(5):807-818. doi: 10.1111/jhn.12869. Epub 2021 Feb 27.
Childhood overweight and obesity have become significant public health challenges worldwide. The present study aimed to investigate whether caregivers' feeding behaviour and children's eating behaviour were associated with the weight status of preschool children in China.
A cross-sectional questionnaire was administered to 912 caregivers of preschool children from April to July 2016. Caregivers' feeding behaviours were assessed by the Chinese Preschooler's Caregiver Feeding Behaviour Scale. Children's eating behaviours were evaluated using the Chinese Preschooler's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire. After controlling for demographic characteristics, multiple linear regression and logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship between caregivers' feeding behaviour, children's eating behaviour and children's body mass index (BMI).
The results showed that weight concerns on the part of caregivers (β = 0.53) and food responsiveness on the part of children (β = 0.93) were positively correlated with children's BMI, whereas caregivers' responsibility for feeding (β = -0.68) and children's external eating (β = -0.53) were negatively correlated with BMI. Among caregiver feeding behaviours, weight concerns [odds ratio (OR) =4.54, p < 0.001] and behaviour-restricted feeding (OR =0.29, p < 0.001) were positively correlated with children's BMI. A child's food responsiveness (OR =4.04, p < 0.001) was also positively correlated with his/her BMI, whereas the child's satiety responsiveness (OR =0.42, p < 0.001) and emotional eating habits (OR =0.56, p < 0.001) were negatively correlated with overweight/obesity status.
Our study demonstrated that children's eating behaviour and caregivers' feeding behaviour were associated with weight status among preschool children in China. Behaviour interventions on caregivers and their children may prevent or reduce weight problems in preschool children.
儿童超重和肥胖已成为全球重大公共卫生挑战。本研究旨在探讨中国学龄前儿童的照料者喂养行为和儿童进食行为与儿童体重状况的关系。
2016 年 4 月至 7 月,采用横断面问卷调查法对 912 名学龄前儿童的照料者进行调查。采用中文版学龄前儿童照料者喂养行为量表评估照料者的喂养行为,采用中文版学龄前儿童进食行为问卷评估儿童的进食行为。在控制人口统计学特征后,采用多元线性回归和 logistic 回归分析评估照料者喂养行为、儿童进食行为与儿童体重指数(BMI)的关系。
结果显示,照料者的体重担忧(β=0.53)和儿童的食物反应性(β=0.93)与儿童的 BMI 呈正相关,而照料者的喂养责任(β=-0.68)和儿童的外部进食(β=-0.53)与 BMI 呈负相关。在照料者喂养行为中,体重担忧(OR=4.54,p<0.001)和行为限制喂养(OR=0.29,p<0.001)与儿童 BMI 呈正相关。儿童的食物反应性(OR=4.04,p<0.001)也与 BMI 呈正相关,而儿童的饱食反应性(OR=0.42,p<0.001)和情绪性进食习惯(OR=0.56,p<0.001)与超重/肥胖呈负相关。
本研究表明,中国学龄前儿童的进食行为和照料者的喂养行为与儿童的体重状况有关。针对照料者及其儿童的行为干预措施可能有助于预防或减少学龄前儿童的体重问题。