Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and weight status in children: the role of parental feeding practices

Abstract

The study examines Parental Feeding Practices (PFP) in relation to adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MD) and children’s weight status. It’s a cross-sectional study of 402 parents (68.4% mothers), with children aged 2–12 years. Parents completed the Comprehensive Parental Feeding Questionnaire and the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index for children and adolescents (KIDMED), evaluating children’s adherence to the MD. Logistic regression showed that in children aged 2–<6 years, “emotion regulation/food as reward” and “pressure” decrease MD adherence (OR = 0.186, p < 0.0001 and OR = 0.496, p = 0.004), and “monitoring” decrease excess body weight (OR = 0.284, p = 0.009). In older children (6–12 years), “healthy eating guidance” and “monitoring” increase MD adherence (OR = 3.262, p = 0.001 and OR = 3.147, p < 0.0001), “child control” decreases MD adherence (OR = 0.587, p = 0.049), “pressure” decrease excess body weight (OR = 0.495, p < 0.0001) and “restriction” increase excess body weight (OR = 1.784, p = 0.015). “Healthy eating guidance” and “monitoring” seem to be the best PFP employed, in terms of children’s MD adherence and weight status.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Childhood obesity
• Mediterranean diet
• parental feeding practices
• Greece

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to all the participants for their valuable contribution to the study.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. All authors have contributed to writing and revision of the article.

Additional information

Funding

Τhe research work was supported by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (HFRI) and the General Secretariat for Research and Technology (GSRT), under the HFRI PhD Fellowship grant [GA. no. 949].