Poster #102 - Effects of Sensitive Parenting and Family Risk on BMI in Children Born Preterm

• In Event: 1-115 - Poster Session 03
  In Poster Session: PS 03 Section - Health, Growth, Injury

Integrative Statement

Children born preterm or with low birth weight (PT-LBW) are at risk for poorer health-related outcomes (Vasylyeva et al., 2013). Unhealthy weight gain, characterized by body mass index (BMI), may be a risk factor for later health problems in these children. Further, health risks among PT-LBW children may be exacerbated by exposure to low supportive parenting or cumulative family risk (Bergmeier et al., 2014; Gerstein & Poehlmann-Tynan, 2015). Thus, examination of protective factors for children born PT-LBW living in adverse contexts is a significant public health concern. The current study examined whether child temperament may mitigate the negative effects of non-supportive parenting and family risk status on children’s BMI.

Method

The current study used data from the Growing Healthy Study, a cluster-randomized community-based obesity intervention program collected over 2011-2015. A total of 103 children who were born either preterm or low birth weight (<2500 g) were selected for the current study (Mage = 49.2 months, SDage = 6.6). Parental sensitivity was assessed using the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ; Frick, 1991). Cumulative familial risk was calculated as composite of single parent status, low parent education, large household, parent obesity, poverty status, food insecurity, and parent depression. Families in the 75th percentile (presence of 4 or more risks) were coded as high familial risk. Depression was assessed using the CES-D. Temperament was calculated as sum of Anger/Frustration and Falling Reactivity/Soothability subscales in The Children’s Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ; Rothbart et al., 2001). Children’s BMI z-scores were computed and adjusted for age and sex. PT-LBW status was identified at enrollment.

Results

We examined the concurrent effects of parent sensitivity and family risk on children’s BMI z-scores. Results indicated significant main effects of both parent sensitivity (β = -.25, p = .02) and family risk (β = .27, p = .01) on BMI z-scores in children born PT-LBW. We also found that child temperament moderated the effect of family risk on children’s BMI z-scores (β = .34, p = .004), such that between children from families with higher risk, those with higher difficult temperaments are at increased risk for higher BMI (Figure 1).

Discussion

The study’s findings indicate that children with difficult temperaments born PT-LBW may be at increased risk for higher BMI in the context of high family risk, compared to their counterparts with low difficult temperament. Additionally, PT-LBW children exposed to insensitive parenting are at increased risk for higher BMI. These results highlight the contextual dynamics of weight status for PT-LBW children and point to obesity-related interventions that target parental sensitivity and child temperament, particularly for children living in context of cumulative family risk.

Authors

• Tiffany L Martoccio, University of Maryland
  Presenting Author

• Neda Senehi, University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus
  Non-Presenting Author

• Holly Brophy-Herb, Michigan State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Julie Lumeng, University of Michigan
  Non-Presenting Author