Factors associated with caregiver responsive and non-responsive feeding styles in Clark County, Nevada.

OBJECTIVE

Early childhood obesity (ECO) significantly increased in the USA. ECO interventions lack focus on the prevention of ECO for infants under 2. Caregiver's feeding styles (CFS) have been shown to affect ECO development, but studies on CFS are limited. This study examined socio-ecological factors associated with CFS for infants under 2 in Nevada.

DESIGN

This cross-sectional study utilising a survey examined the five CFS constructs: responsive (RP), non-responsive (NRP) Laissez-Faire, NRP pressuring, NRP restrictive and NRP indulgent. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression following a hierarchical modelling approach were used to determine the associations between the CFS constructs and socio-ecological factors (e.g. household, maternal mental health and infant feeding).

SETTING

Clark County, Nevada.

PARTICIPANTS

304 caregivers with infants under 2.

RESULTS

NRP-feeding styles were associated with low-income households (e.g. NRP restrictive (adjusted OR (AOR) = 2·60, 95 % CI (1·01, 6·71))), water insecurity (e.g. NRP pressuring (AOR = 2·46, 95 % CI (1·00, 6·06)), young mothers (e.g. NRP-Laissez-Faire (AOR = 2·39, 95 % CI (1·00, 5·84))), lower maternal education (e.g. RP (AOR = 0·58, 95 % CI (0·33, 1·00))), mild risk for depression (e.g. NRP restrictive (AOR = 0·50, 95 % CI (0·28, 0·90))) and a moderate to severe risk for anxiety (e.g. NRP pressuring (AOR = 0·32, 95 % CI (0·14, 0·74))). There were no associations between infant-feeding factors and RP feeding.

CONCLUSION

Our study identified socio-ecological factors associated with dissimilarities in CFS in Nevada. These findings can be used to tailor educational approaches to address disparities in ECO.