ABSTRACT
Introduction
Food parenting practices, behaviours, and food availability at home are associated with children's food choices; however, these associations have been mainly studied for each parenting practice separately and focused mostly on healthy populations.
Aim
To identify patterns of parenting practices (including data regarding food availability at home, food and physical activity related behaviours and rewards) and to investigate their cross-sectional associations with children's food choices in families at high risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D).
Materials-Methods
Data of parents and children, (N=2278), from the Feel4Diabetes-study conducted in 6 European countries, were collected using validated questionnaires. The data analysed included children's food choices, food availability at home and food and physical activity related parenting practices. Four patterns of parenting practices were identified using principal component analysis and asso ciations between those components and children's food choices were assessed using adjusted, individual linear regressions.
Results
Parenting patterns focusing on unhealthy habits, such as allowing unhealthy snacks and unlimited screen time, providing higher availability of unhealthy foods at home, rewarding with snacks and screen time) were positively associated with children's unhealthy food choices (consumption of savoury/sweet snacks, fizzy drinks etc.). The parenting pattern providing fruit/vegetables availability at home, consuming fruit and being physically active with the child was positively associated with healthier children's food choices (consumption of fruit, vegetables, whole grain cereals etc.).
Conclusion
Public health initiatives should focus on families at high-risk for T2D, assisting them adopt appropriate parenting practices and behaviours to promote healthier food choices for children.
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