Parents Report Positive Changes in Parental Feeding Practices 12 Months After Intervention.

Objective: Determine self-reported parental feeding behavior changes and perspectives on parental feeding intervention at 12-month follow-up.

Methods: Telephone focus groups using a 2 × 2 design (English/Spanish × in-class or online) with Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program participants (n = 37) with children 2-8 years and high exposure to the Food, Feeding, and Your Family intervention (7 lessons). Researchers (n = 3) independently identified themes.

Using Mobile Technology for Family-Based Prevention in Families with Low Incomes: Lessons from a Randomized Controlled Trial of a Childhood Obesity Prevention Program.

Researchers are increasingly using web-based technologies to deliver family-based, prevention programming. Few studies have examined the success of such approaches for families with low incomes. The purpose of this study was to describe the level of in-class and online engagement in a childhood obesity prevention program for parents with low incomes, to examine the demographic correlates of parent engagement, and to examine dosage effects on parental feeding outcomes as a function of online exposure.

"I enjoy the good foods, all of which are not good for me." The categorization and moralization of food.

Intuitive eating emphasizes eating in response to physiological cues of hunger and satiety and is associated with multiple positive health outcomes. Unconditional permission to eat (UPE), a domain of intuitive eating, encourages removing food classifications and permission to eat all foods. However, the categorization of food is described as a method to simplify decision making and moralization of foods can help prioritize food items in consumption.

Changes in Social, Economic, and Health Risk Factors Across the Lifespan during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Latent Transition Analysis.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to unique, pervasive, and changing global impacts. It is imperative to characterize groups of individuals based on modifiable factors, and to describe how groups have been impacted by the continuing pandemic in the United States to promote health and well-being and to inform preventive interventions. We used latent transition analysis to identify subgroups of modifiable psychosocial, economic, and health risk factors; to explore subgroup shifts across time; and to assess the prevalence of non-modifiable factors associated with subgroup membership.

Short-Term Efficacy of a Childhood Obesity Prevention Program Designed to Pair Feeding Content With Nutrition Education.

Family-based programs show considerable promise in preventing overweight and obesity in young children. However, dissemination is difficult because significant participant and staff involvement is required. This study examined the short-term efficacy of adding parental feeding content to a widely-used nutrition education curriculum for families in low-resourced communities comparing the influence of two delivery methods (in-class and online) on parents' feeding knowledge, practices, and styles.

Body image and eating behaviors: A latent profile analysis.

Body image is multidimensional and less is known about how the combination of positive and negative body image relates to eating behaviors. We used a person-centered approach to identify profiles of body image and explore the relationship between profile membership, sex, age, race, and current marital status, and eating behaviors in a community sample of adults. We recruited 288 adults 18 and older living in the United States using Prolific Academic.

Communication About Food and Nutrition in the Parent Child Dyad.

Purpose: Developmentally appropriate messaging interventions may be an effective way to promote healthy behaviors in young children. However, there is a gap in the literature describing communication about food and nutrition within the parent-child dyad. Thus, we explored the content, frequency, context, and purpose of parental conversations about food and nutrition.

Associations between body image, eating behavior, and diet quality.

Weight-neutral interventions that promote adaptive eating behaviors are becoming a growing area of practice. Understanding whether adaptive eating behaviors are associated with improved diet quality is essential. Body image may be an important factor in this relationship given its close connection to eating behaviors.

Intuitive eating and dietary intake.

Intuitive eating has been associated with positive health benefits, yet the research investigating intuitive eating with dietary intake is minimal, inconsistent, and may differ by sex and food security status. The purpose of this study is to identify relationships between intuitive eating and dietary intake in adults living in the US and explore differences by sex and food insecurity status. We recruited 308 adults 18 years and older living in the US to complete an online survey including demographic data, intuitive eating, a diet screener questionnaire, and food insecurity status.

Perceived Changes in Social Connectedness Across the Life Course: A Mixed Method Approach.

Social connection is important across the life course, but overall levels have been declining. The COVID-19 pandemic presented a unique context to examine social connectedness and adaptive capacity in times of social adversity. We used a parallel mixed method design to collect online survey data from a representative U.

A lifespan perspective of structural and perceived social relationships, food insecurity, and dietary behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Physical distancing and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic may influence dietary behaviors. Using a parallel mixed method design, we examined the relationships between structural and perceived social relationships on dietary behaviors across the adult lifespan and by food security status. A representative sample of 360 adults (18-78 years old) living in the United States were recruited through Prolific Academic to complete an online cross-sectional survey.

Implementation Science Strategies Promote Fidelity in the Food, Feeding, and Your Family Study.

Objective: Use of implementation science strategies to promote fidelity in the Food, Feeding, and Your Family study.

Design: Cluster randomized controlled trial with 3 conditions: control, in-class, or online, delivered in English or Spanish. Observations of 20% of classes.

Differing Experiences of Boredom During the Pandemic and Associations With Dietary Behaviors.

Objective: To examine how changes in feeling bored and eating because of boredom during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic relate to intuitive eating, diet quality, and snacking.

Methods: A representative sample of 360 US adults completed an online survey including changes in feeling bored and eating because of boredom since the COVID-19 pandemic. An ANCOVA and multivariate analysis of covariance were used to examine relationships between intuitive eating, diet quality, and snacking in individuals who experienced: (1) increases in feeling bored and eating because of boredom, (2) eating because of boredom only, (3) increases in feeling bored only, and (4) no change/decreases in feeling bored and eating because of boredom.

Twelve-Month Efficacy of an Obesity Prevention Program Targeting Hispanic Families With Preschoolers From Low-Income Backgrounds.

Objective: Assess effects of an obesity prevention program promoting eating self-regulation and healthy preferences in Hispanic preschool children.

Design: Randomized controlled trial with pretest, posttest, 6- and 12-month assessments. Fourteen waves, each lasting 7 weeks.

Health Behaviors at the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

We examined perceived behavior change since implementation of physical distancing restrictions and identified modifiable (self-rated health, resilience, depressive symptoms, social support and subjective wellbeing) and non-modifiable (demographics) risk/protective factors. A representative US sample (N = 362) completed an online survey about potential risk/protective factors and health behaviors prior to the pandemic and after implemented/recommended restrictions. We assessed change in perceived health behaviors prior to and following introduction of COVID-19.

Applying Principles from Prevention and Implementation Sciences to Optimize the Dissemination of Family Feeding Interventions.

Because families are the primary food socialization agent for children, they are a key target for nutrition interventions promoting healthy eating development. Although researchers and clinicians have developed and tested successful family nutrition interventions, few have gained widespread dissemination. Prevention and implementation science disciplines can inform the design, testing, and dissemination of feeding interventions to advance the goals of widespread adoption and population health impact.

Short-Term Effects of an Obesity Prevention Program Among Low-Income Hispanic Families With Preschoolers.

Objective: To assess the short-term effects of an obesity prevention program promoting eating self-regulation and healthy food preferences in low-income Hispanic children.

Design: Randomized controlled trial with pretest, posttest, and 6- and 12-month assessments.

Setting And Participants: Head Start and similar early learning institutions in Houston, TX, and Pasco, WA.

Pairing Feeding Content With a Nutrition Education Curriculum: A Comparison of Online and In-Class Delivery.

Objective: To develop a childhood obesity prevention program, Food, Feeding and Your Family (FFYF), which encourages eating self-regulation in young children. This article describes the research methods for FFYF. Activities that will be used to guide the development of the program are illustrated in a logic model.

Child-Centered Nutrition Phrases Plus Repeated Exposure Increase Preschoolers' Consumption of Healthful Foods, but Not Liking or Willingness to Try.

Objective: To determine whether the use of child-centered nutrition phrases (CCNP) with repeated exposure (RE) improved willingness to try, liking, and consumption of healthful foods compared with RE alone.

Design: The researchers used a 2 × 2 × 4 fractionated within-subjects experimental design in the study: phrase condition (RE vs CCNP + RE) by time of measurement (preintervention, postintervention, and 1-month follow-up), by type of food (tomatoes, bell peppers, lentils, and quinoa).

Setting: Children were recruited from 2 early education centers; 89% participated.

Food parenting practices in rural poverty context.

Little is known about how low-income, rural mothers shape child eating behaviors. Descriptive and qualitative analysis of 55 mothers' surveys and in-depth interviews with 17 mothers in Washington state revealed a lack of alignment between mothers' intent to promote healthy child eating habits and counterproductive food parenting behaviors. Individual, family and community ecologies contributing to the divide included mothers' current nutrition knowledge, their childhood experiences, family food insecurity, housing issues preventing recommended practices, and a lack of public transportation or access to affordable grocery stores.

The association between adverse childhood experience (ACE) and school success in elementary school children.

We explored the feasibility of using school personnel as reporters to examine the relationship between the level of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) exposure in a nonclinical sample of public elementary schoolchildren and academic risk. We selected a random sample of 2,101 children from kindergarten through 6th grade classroom rosters at 10 elementary schools. Students were 50% male, 78% White, and 55% free and reduced meal program participants.

Strategies for Effective Eating Development-SEEDS: Design of an Obesity Prevention Program to Promote Healthy Food Preferences and Eating Self-Regulation in Children From Low-Income Families.

Objective: To develop a scientifically based childhood obesity prevention program supporting child eating self-regulation and taste preferences. This article describes the research methods for the Strategies for Effective Eating Development program. A logic model is provided that depicts a visual presentation of the activities that will be used to guide the development of the prevention program.

Conceptual understanding of screen media parenting: report of a working group.

Screen media (television, computers, and videogames) use has been linked to multiple child outcomes, including obesity. Parents can be an important influence on children's screen use. There has been an increase in the number of instruments available to assess parenting in feeding and physical activity contexts, however few measures are available to assess parenting practices regarding children's screen media use.

The relationship between practices and child care providers' beliefs related to child feeding and obesity prevention.

Objective: To examine the association between child care practices and child care provider knowledge and beliefs about their role in supporting children's healthful eating.

Design: Longitudinal design using survey and observation data from baseline and year 1 of the Encouraging Healthy Activity and Eating in Childcare Environments (ENHANCE) pilot project.

Participants: Seventy-two child care providers from 45 child care settings.