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Predictors Of Preschool Children's Body Mass Index: Breastfeeding Duration, Child Eating Behaviors, And Parental Feeding Practices, Amy J. Encinger

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The current study examined how breastfeeding duration, child eating behaviors (Satiety and Food Responsiveness), and parental feeding practices (Environment and Parental Control over Food) are related to body mass index (BMI) among preschool-aged children. Participants were 224 primary caregivers (M age = 30.36; 90% mothers) of preschool-aged children (M age = 4.22 years, 55% male) from three Midwestern preschools serving low-income children. Mediated multiple regression analyses examined the effects of the various child eating behaviors and parental feeding practices as mediators of the relation between breastfeeding duration and child BMI. Three main findings emerged. There was a significant …