Parental feeding style of mothers in the province of Ilocos Sur

ABSTRACT

@#The increasing trend of childhood obesity is becoming an imminent concern in both developed and developing countries. Besides genetic predisposition, environmental and social factors are contributory factors to this global epidemic. These factors include maternal feeding practices and style. This study determined mothers' parental feeding styles in the province of Ilocos Sur and the factors that predict them. Also, the study ascertained if parental feeding styles are related to the child's Body Mass Index (BMI). This study used the descriptive-correlational research method and included 156 mothers with children aged 2-3. Respondents were chosen purposively. The Parental Feeding Style Questionnaire developed by Wardle et al. (2002) was used to gather the needed data. For data analysis, the frequency and percentage, mean, multiple regression, and Pearson product-moment of correlation were used. This study concluded that mothers vary in their characteristics and so on their feeding styles. Based on study results, they have high levels of encouragement and emotional feeding and average levels of instrumental feeding and control over feeding. However, encouragement feeding is the dominant feeding style among respondents among the four feeding styles. Various maternal traits have been found to predict a specific parental feeding style except for the control over feeding subscale. Additionally, only encouragement feeding was found to have an indirect correlation with a child's BMI.