Food parenting at-home vs. in restaurants among African American parents of 3-to-8-year-old children.

Feeding style refers to the approach that parents use to feed their child and the emotional climate during eating. Indulgent styles, characterized by low structure and high responsiveness, have been linked to childhood weight gain. Few studies have examined feeding styles within out-of-home contexts (e.g., restaurants), which are common eating environments for many families. This study sought to examine feeding styles at-home and in restaurants among African American parents. 52 African American parents with a 3-to-8-year-old child (M = 35.6 years, 86% mothers, 57% annual household income <$50,000, 57% Associate's degree or higher) who regularly dined at restaurants completed an online survey in winter 2022-2023. Parents reported on demographics, anthropometrics, and their feeding styles at home and in restaurants via The Caregiver's Feeding Style Questionnaire. Findings indicated that the indulgent style was the most common overall. Indulgent styles were more prevalent in restaurants (χ = 7.4, p = 0.007) than home, and authoritarian styles more prevalent at home (χ = 4.5, p = 0.03). Child weight status differed by feeding style in both contexts (p ≤ 0.04); indulgent styles in restaurants were linked to higher BMI z-scores, while authoritarian styles at home were linked to lower BMI z-scores. Higher parent BMI was linked to increased likelihood of having an indulgent style at home (OR = 1.13, p = 0.03), while lower parent BMI was linked to increased likelihood of the uninvolved style at home (OR = 0.76, p = 0.049). Overall, indulgent styles were common and more prevalent in restaurants, where they were linked to higher child weight status. Findings may inform future health promotion efforts in out-of-home eating contexts.