Center for Childhood Obesity Research, 129 Noll Laboratory, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA; Nutritional Sciences, 110 C Chandlee Laboratory, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
Center for Childhood Obesity Research, 129 Noll Laboratory, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
Appetite. 2023 Jan 1;180:106367. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2022.106367. Epub 2022 Nov 7.
Firstborn children have higher prevalence of obesity than secondborn siblings. The birth of a sibling typically results in resource dilution when mothers begin to divide their time and attention between two children. This mixed-methods analysis applies the family systems process of resource dilution to test the hypothesis that characteristics of the secondborn impact how parents feed the firstborn. Participants (n = 76) were mothers of consecutively born firstborn and secondborn siblings who participated in the INSIGHT trial and an observational cohort. Quantitative analyses involved multilevel models to test if characteristics of secondborns (temperament at 16 weeks, appetite at 28 weeks) were associated with maternal feeding practices of firstborns (structure and control-based feeding) at 1, 2, and 3 years, adjusting for firstborn child characteristics. A purposive subsample (n = 30) of mothers participated in semi-structured interviews to contextualize potential sibling influences on maternal feeding practices during infancy and toddlerhood. Quantitative data showed secondborn temperament and appetite were associated with how mothers fed their firstborn. Qualitative data explained maternal feeding practices in three primary ways: 1) Mothers explained shifting predictable meal and snack routines after birth of the secondborn, but did not perceive sibling characteristics as the source; 2) Family chaos following the secondborn's birth led to "survival mode" in feeding; and 3) Social support was protective against feeding resource dilution. The family systems process of resource dilution is a focus for future research and support for families during key transitions and a direction for efforts to reduce risk for child obesity.
头胎孩子比二胎孩子更容易肥胖。当母亲开始在两个孩子之间分配时间和注意力时，通常会导致资源稀释。本混合方法分析将家庭系统资源稀释过程应用于测试以下假设：二胎的特征会影响父母如何喂养头胎。参与者（n=76）为连续出生的头胎和二胎的母亲，他们参加了 INSIGHT 试验和观察队列。定量分析涉及多层次模型，以测试二胎的特征（16 周时的气质、28 周时的食欲）是否与头胎母亲的喂养方式（1、2 和 3 岁时基于结构和控制的喂养）相关，调整了头胎孩子的特征。30 名有目的的母亲参与了半结构式访谈，以了解潜在的兄弟姐妹对婴儿期和幼儿期母亲喂养实践的影响。定量数据显示，二胎的气质和食欲与母亲喂养头胎的方式有关。定性数据主要从以下三个方面解释了母亲的喂养实践：1）母亲解释了在二胎出生后可预测的进餐和零食时间的变化，但没有将兄弟姐妹的特征视为来源；2）二胎出生后家庭混乱导致喂养进入“生存模式”；3）社会支持对喂养资源稀释有保护作用。资源稀释的家庭系统过程是未来研究的重点，为家庭在关键过渡时期提供支持，并为减少儿童肥胖风险的努力指明方向。
