Style of Meal Service and Feeding Practices Among Mexican American Fathers and Mothers: An Analysis of Video-Recorded Children’s Evening Mealtime at Home

Authors

Carlos Penilla
Jeanne M Tschann
Lauri A Pasch
Elena Flores
Julianna Deardorff
Suzanna M Martinez
Nancy F Butte
Louise C Greenspan

Publication Date

2-1-2022

Journal

Appetite

DOI

10.1016/j.appet.2021.105851

PMID

34883137

PMCID

PMC10324477

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

7-6-2023

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Author MSS

Published Open-Access

yes

Keywords

Child, Child Behavior, Fathers, Feeding Behavior, Female, Humans, Male, Meals, Mexican Americans, Mothers, Parenting, Childhood obesity, Mexican American, Fathers, Video recordings, Observational data

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine video-recorded observations of evening family mealtime at home among Mexican American children to help elucidate style of meal service, fathers' and mothers' feeding practices and child's eating behavior. Consistent with guidelines for coding behaviors, we analyzed observational data of evening mealtimes of 71 Mexican American children aged eight to 10 years. Regarding style of meal service, in almost all cases (96%), parents plated the child's food, with more available on the table or counter in 40% of the observations. Mothers almost always served the child (94%). Regarding parental feeding practices, parents used positive involvement in meals (80%), pressure to eat (42%) and restriction of food (9%). Using food as a reward to control behavior was never used by either parent. The majority (75%) of children requested or negotiated to eat less food, or only eat certain items. In Mexican American families, both mothers and fathers play a role in family mealtimes and both use positive involvement in child's meals, and to a lesser extent pressure to eat, with their children aged eight to 10 years. To help reduce the obesity epidemic, intervention strategies are needed, which integrate the family, a plating style of meal and parental feeding practices that promote healthy eating in the home. To reduce obesity among Mexican American children, interventions that focus on parental positive involvement in child's meal and maintenance of home cooked meals could have a positive impact on the entire family.