2-135 - The Role of Parenting and Emotion in Pediatric Obesity Risk

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Pediatric obesity remains a global health concern, and the etiology and development of obesogenic behaviors are complex. However, parenting and family environment, as well as emotion reactivity and regulation, have been fruitful areas of inquiry for identifying modifiable behaviors for prevention purposes. This symposium brings together research from three countries examining the role of parenting and emotion in pediatric obesity risk. Using data from a birth cohort study in the U.S., study 1 examines how family factors (dinnertime routines, chaos) and parenting (emotional responsiveness) impact 18-24 month olds’ appetite self-regulation. The findings highlight independent effects of family routines and observed emotional responsiveness on child appetite self-regulation, and the moderating role of emotional responsiveness in the relations between family chaos and child eating behavior. Study 2 extends the focus to include child emotional overeating and food responsiveness across middle childhood. Using longitudinal data from a large Norwegian sample and a hybrid fixed-effect approach, the data show how both child temperament (negative affectivity) and parenting (restrained eating and emotion feeding) increase child obesogenic eating behaviors over time. The final study will provide a quantitative synthesis of 100 published studies that utilize data from a prospective birth cohort in the Netherlands, and that consider a multitude of factors across time and levels of influence as contributors to obesity. The analysis will address the unique importance of parenting in the development of obesity when compared to other salient predictors. Discussion will integrate findings, and highlight implications for family-based approaches to reduce childhood obesity risk.

Sub Unit

• Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Chair

• Kelly K. Bost, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Discussant

• Cindy Stifter, Pennsylvania State University

Individual Presentations

• The Effects of Family Factors, Maternal Attachment, and Responsiveness on Child Appetite Self-Regulation - Presenting Author: Jaclyn A. Saltzman, Harvard University T. H. Chan School of Public Health and Massachusetts General Hospital for Children; Non-Presenting Author: Kelly K. Bost, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Non-Presenting Author: Brent McBride, University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign; Non-Presenting Author: Barbara Fiese, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Child Temperament, Parental Feeding, and Child Obesogenic Eating Behaviors Across Middle Childhood - Presenting Author: Silje Steinsbekk, Norwegian University of Science and Technology

• How Important is Parenting for the Development of Children's Overweight and Obesity? - Presenting Author: Marinus H van IJzendoorn, Erasmus University Rotterdam; Non-Presenting Author: Pauline Jansen, Erasmus MC-University Medical Center Rotterdam, The Netherlands