Center for Childhood Obesity Research, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
Department of Nutritional Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2022 Jun 7;19(1):64. doi: 10.1186/s12966-022-01302-3.
Firstborn children have higher rates of obesity compared to secondborns, perhaps due, in part, to differential feeding practices. Despite the centrality of siblings in family life and potential for influence, almost nothing is known about the role of siblings in parent feeding practices in early childhood.
Participants (n = 117) were mothers of consecutively born siblings. Firstborns participated in an RCT that compared a responsive parenting intervention designed for primary prevention of obesity against a safety control. Secondborns participated in an observational cohort. Multilevel models tested whether and how firstborn characteristics (temperament, appetite, rapid weight gain) at 16 weeks and 1 year were associated maternal feeding practices of secondborns in infancy at 16 weeks, 28 weeks, and 1 year (food to soothe) and at ages 1, 2, and 3 years (structure-and control-based feeding practices). A purposive subsample (n = 30) of mothers also participated in semi-structured interviews to further illuminate potential sibling influences on maternal feeding practices during infancy and toddlerhood.
Firstborn characteristics did not predict secondborn feeding in infancy (all ps > 0.05). Firstborn negative affect, however, predicted mothers' less consistent mealtime routines (b (SE) = - 0.27 (0.09); p = 0.005) and more pressure (b (SE) = 0.38 (0.12); p = 0.001). Firstborn appetite predicted mothers' less frequent use of food to soothe (b (SE) = - 0.16 (0.07); p = 0.02) when secondborns were toddlers. Firstborn surgency, regulation, and rapid weight gain, however, did not predict secondborn feeding practices during toddlerhood (all ps > 0.05). Interviews with mothers revealed three ways that maternal experiences with firstborns informed feeding practices of secondborns: 1) Use of feeding practices with secondborn that worked for the firstborn; 2) Confidence came from firstborn feeding experiences making secondborn feeding less anxiety-provoking; and 3) Additional experiences with firstborn and other factors that contributed to secondborn feeding practices.
Some firstborn characteristics and maternal experiences with firstborns as well as maternal psychosocial factors may have implications for mothers' feeding practices with secondborns. Together, these mixed methods findings may inform future research and family-based interventions focused on maternal feeding of siblings in early childhood.
与二胎相比，头胎儿童肥胖率更高，这可能部分归因于不同的喂养方式。尽管兄弟姐妹在家庭生活中处于核心地位，并且可能具有影响力，但几乎没有人了解兄弟姐妹在儿童早期父母喂养方式中的作用。
参与者（n=117）为连续出生的兄弟姐妹的母亲。头胎参加了一项随机对照试验，该试验比较了针对肥胖症一级预防的反应性育儿干预措施与安全性对照措施。二胎参加了观察队列研究。多层模型检验了 16 周和 1 岁时头胎的特征（气质、食欲、快速体重增加）是否以及如何与二胎在婴儿期 16 周、28 周和 1 岁时（食物安抚）以及 1、2 和 3 岁时（基于结构和控制的喂养方式）的母亲喂养方式相关。一个目的抽样（n=30）的母亲还参加了半结构化访谈，以进一步阐明兄弟姐妹在婴儿期和幼儿期对母亲喂养方式的潜在影响。
头胎特征并不能预测二胎婴儿期的喂养方式（所有 p 值均大于 0.05）。然而，头胎的消极情绪预测了母亲更不规律的进餐时间（b（SE）=-0.27（0.09）；p=0.005）和更大的压力（b（SE）=0.38（0.12）；p=0.001）。当二胎是幼儿时，头胎的食欲预测母亲不太频繁地使用食物来安抚（b（SE）=-0.16（0.07）；p=0.02）。然而，头胎的易兴奋、调节和快速体重增加并不能预测二胎幼儿时期的喂养方式（所有 p 值均大于 0.05）。与母亲的访谈揭示了母亲经验影响二胎喂养方式的三种方式：1）使用对头胎有效的喂养方式；2）来自头胎喂养经验，使二胎喂养不那么焦虑；3）与头胎和其他因素有关的额外经验，这些因素促成了二胎的喂养方式。
一些头胎特征和母亲对头胎的经验以及母亲的心理社会因素可能对头胎母亲对二胎的喂养方式产生影响。这些混合方法的研究结果可以为未来的研究和以家庭为基础的干预措施提供信息，这些研究和干预措施的重点是儿童早期兄弟姐妹的母亲喂养方式。
