The association of parental feeding practices, parental control over children's eating behavior, and sociodemographic characteristics with childhood overweight and obesity in Türkiye

Abstract

Parents both respond to and influence their child's weight. This study aimed to investigate the association of parental feeding practices, parental control over children's eating behavior, and sociodemographic characteristics with childhood overweight and obesity. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 405 parents of children aged 7-11 years. Predictors that decreased the risk of childhood overweight/obesity were increase in child age (27.9%), high maternal education (61.7%), upper socioeconomic status (38.9%), increase in parental covert control (30.4%), and increase in parental pressure to eat (46.2%). Examining both parental attitudes and practices regarding child feeding and parental approaches to child food choices can benefit early intervention programs to prevent overweight and obesity in children.