Intuitive Eating among Parents: Associations with the Home Food and Meal Environment.

BACKGROUND

Parents have a role in shaping the eating behaviors of young children and the intergenerational transmission of eating attitudes. However, little is known regarding how parental intuitive eating practices are related to characteristics of home food and meal environments.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the relationship between parental intuitive eating and the home food and meal environment.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional analysis of survey data collected online and by mail in 2015-2016 as part of the Project EAT cohort study.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Participants from 750 unique households (470 mothers, 280 fathers) were surveyed in young adulthood (Mean [M] age = 31.4 years, Standard Deviation [SD] = 1.5). Baseline enrollment of participants in the population-based Project EAT study was conducted in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, schools.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Intuitive eating was assessed via self-report.

STATISTICAL ANALYSES

Modified Poisson regression models were conducted, adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.

RESULTS

Among mothers, higher intuitive eating scores were associated with greater likelihood of usually having fruits and vegetables in the home (prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.03) and with lower likelihood of usually having salty snacks and soda pop in the home (PR = 0.91). Higher intuitive eating scores were also associated with greater likelihood of usually serving fruits and vegetables at dinner among mothers (PR = 1.07). Among both mothers (PR = 1.08) and fathers (PR = 1.07), higher intuitive eating scores were associated with greater likelihood of usually having enough time and energy to prepare meals.

CONCLUSIONS

Intuitive eating practices in parents are associated with specific home food environment characteristics. Extending the understanding of these relationships in longitudinal data has the potential to inform the directionality of influences and may help to identify targets for intervention.