The relationship between parental dietary modeling, family mealtime environment and child body mass index in urban preschoolers

The rates of pediatric obesity have risen dramatically in recent years and more research is needed to better understand the predictors of high child body mass index (BMI). By being able to identify significant contributing variables of high child BMI, specific interventions can be crafted to reduce the risk of pediatric obesity and avoid the many health, social, academic and financial troubles that afflict those who are obese. This study examined whether family mealtime environment and parental dietary modeling predict children's BMI cross-sectionally in a sample of low-income, ethnically diverse preschool children. A total of 227 parents or caregivers and their preschool children were recruited from Head Start programs in NY and NJ. Participants completed measures of parental dietary modeling, family mealtime environment, and demographics variables. The heights and weights of the participants and their children were obtained. Factor Analyses found that the Parental Modeling Questionnaire, a scale created for this study, consisted of two factors each with good reliability, Healthy Dietary Modeling and Unhealthy Dietary Modeling. Using Multiple Regression Analysis, we confirmed the findings of previous studies that parental dietary modeling is significantly associated with child BMI. However, we found that the fathers' modeling of unhealthy dietary behaviors was the only significant predictor of child BMI in the direction that was predicted. Interestingly, while the mothers' dietary modeling, both healthy and unhealthy, was significantly related to child BMI, it predicted the weight status in the opposite direction from what we hypothesized, and from the findings of previous studies. We hypothesized that there may have been socioeconomic factors, among others, that came into play. Our results highlight the need for interventions targeting the parents, and perhaps tailoring interventions for different cultural, ethnic and socioeconomic status populations, to help curb the high rates of pediatric obesity.