Perceptions and preferences for infant body size by low‐income mothers

Abstract

A multiracial, low‐income sample of 240 mothers were asked to indicate where they perceived their infant to fall on a pictorial continuum of babies who differed by size, to indicate what size they would like their infant to be, and to indicate their attitudes toward feeding under different circumstances. Although the Mexican and other‐Latino infants were of average weight when recruited at 1 month of age, the mothers in both subgroups estimated their infants as leaner, and indicated a heavier rating as desirable, relative to white mothers. They also reported a greater level of maternal ‘pushiness’ relative to the white mothers in terms of their attitude toward feeding their infants. Black mothers' estimates were generally in between these groups. These results raise the possibility that mothers who view a heavier infant as desirable might overfeed their infants in an effort to help them grow more rapidly.

Acknowledgements

Support for this project was provided by grant HD039697 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.