AUTHOR=Warkentin Sarah , Mais Laís A. , Latorre Maria do Rosário Dias de Oliveira , Carnell Susan , Taddei José Augusto de Aguiar Carrazedo 

TITLE=Parents Matter: Associations of Parental BMI and Feeding Behaviors With Child BMI in Brazilian Preschool and School-Aged Children

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Nutrition

VOLUME=5

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2018.00069

DOI=10.3389/fnut.2018.00069

ISSN=2296-861X

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Background:</bold> Brazil is undergoing nutritional transition and rates of obesity in preschool and school-aged children are increasing. Excess weight in the first years of life could predict excess weight in adulthood, making it essential to study risk factors in this population.</p><p><bold>Objective:</bold> Our goal was to investigate associations of parent feeding behaviors, as well as more distal familial influences including family SES and maternal and paternal weight, with BMI <italic>z</italic>-score in preschool and school-aged children in a Brazilian sample.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> Cross-sectional study. Data were collected in 14 Brazilian private schools. Parents of children aged 2–8 years (<italic>n</italic> = 1,071) completed a questionnaire assessing parent feeding behaviors, as well as sociodemographic and anthropometric information. Hierarchical linear regression models were fitted to investigate relationships between parent and child characteristics and child BMI <italic>z</italic>-score in preschool (2–5 years, <italic>n</italic> = 397) and school-aged (6–8 years, <italic>n</italic> = 618) children.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> Final models indicated that higher maternal BMI and “restriction for weight control” were associated with higher child BMI <italic>z</italic>-score in both age groups (excessive weight, i.e., BMI ≥ +1 <italic>z</italic>-score, in preschoolers and school-aged children: 24.4 and 35.9%, respectively). In preschoolers only, “healthy eating guidance” and “pressure” were associated with lower child BMI <italic>z</italic>-score. For school-aged children, male sex, higher father BMI, and “restriction for health” were associated with higher child BMI <italic>z</italic>-score.</p><p><bold>Conclusions:</bold> Parent feeding behaviors and parent weight, as well as child sex, are associated with child BMI <italic>z</italic>-score, with evidence for differential relationships in preschool and school-aged children. Optimal obesity prevention and treatment strategies may differ by child age.</p>