Parental Management of Lifestyle Behaviors Associated with Childhood Obesity: Associations with Child Weight-Status and Behaviors in Middle Childhood

Introduction: Family eating patterns and activity choices are lifestyle factors that have been linked to the development of childhood obesity (Epstein et al., 2002). Parents’ capacity to monitor and manage their children’s lifestyle behaviors (LB) are targets for family-based child obesity interventions (Davison & Birch, 2001). Such interventions posit that low parental self-efficacy in managing child LB problems and ineffective obesity-related (feeding) and general (discipline) parenting practices are risk factors for, and mediate changes in, child obesity and obesogenic behaviors (Faith et al., 2012). The present study investigates the relationship between parent feeding practices and discipline styles and child weight status, LB, emotional, and behavioral problems.

Methods: Analyses drew on baseline data from an ongoing pilot study that attempts to replicate in rural Pennsylvania the Australia-based Group Lifestyle Triple P parent-focused childhood obesity prevention program (West et. al, 2010). Thirty-six parents of mostly overweight and obese children (mean BMI z-score=1.88, SD=.98) were recruited from four schools. At baseline, parents completed rating scales to measure general dimensions of parenting (discipline styles, inter-parental conflict), parenting related to lifestyle behaviors and obesity (feeding practices, LB management self-efficacy) and child LB problems and adjustment (emotional and behavioral problems). Height and weight of 26 children were measured.

Results: Bivariate analyses were consistent with prior theory in suggesting robust correlations between obesity-related parenting dimensions and child obesity-related outcomes: parental perception of (r=.59, p<.001) and concern about (r=.48, p<.01) child weight and restrictive feeding practices (r=.51, p<.01) were positively associated with child LB problems. The general parenting dimension, lax discipline style, was also positively associated with child obesogenic LB problems (r=.30, p<.1). Moreover, both general and obesity-related parenting practices were associated with general child adjustment: inter-parental conflict severity (r=.36, p<.1), over-reactive discipline style (r=.36, p<.05), and restrictive feeding (r=.31, p<.1) were positively associated with child total emotional and behavioral difficulties. All results will be presented in the context of the Group Lifestyle Triple-P logic model.

Conclusion: Findings highlight significant links between obesity-related and general parenting practices and child weight-status, behaviors, and socioemotional outcomes. Results support the logic models of programs seeking to reduce child obesity through parenting interventions that address both general and obesity-specific parenting dimensions.