Abstract
Background: The impacts of caregivers’ perception of child weight on their non-responsive feeding practices are
inconclusive. This systematic review aimed to examine their relationships.
Methods: A systematic search of five databases was conducted from inception to March 2022, following PRISMA
guidelines. Data synthesis was performed using semi-quantitative approach and meta-analysis.
Results: Twenty-two studies with 12005 respondents were included for semi-quantitative analyses. Eighteen
studies examined 26 associations between caregivers’ perception of child weight and food restriction with 12
statistically significant associations being observed. A total of 22 relationships between caregivers’ perception of
child weight and pressure to eat were investigated, with 13 being statistically significant. The statistically significant associations consistently reported that caregivers’ visual and self-reported perception of child weight
was positively associated with their restrictive feeding and negatively associated with pressure to eat. The pooled
odds ratios (ORs) indicated that caregivers who perceived their child as overweight were found to apply pressure
to eat less frequently (OR = 0.61; 95%CI: 0.44, 0.84) compared with those who did not. However, caregivers’
perception of child weight was not statistically significantly associated with restrictive feeding (OR = 1.37; 95%
CI: 0.74, 2.55).
Conclusion: Caregivers’ self-reported and visual perception of child weight may be important risk factors for nonresponsive feeding practices, particularly food restriction and pressure to eat. Thus, interventions need to
consider the role of caregivers’ perception of child weight, which may optimize feeding practices. Furthermore,
longitudinal and intervention-based studies using validated measurements while controlling for potential
covariates are needed to provide more evidence on their causal relationships.
inconclusive. This systematic review aimed to examine their relationships.
Methods: A systematic search of five databases was conducted from inception to March 2022, following PRISMA
guidelines. Data synthesis was performed using semi-quantitative approach and meta-analysis.
Results: Twenty-two studies with 12005 respondents were included for semi-quantitative analyses. Eighteen
studies examined 26 associations between caregivers’ perception of child weight and food restriction with 12
statistically significant associations being observed. A total of 22 relationships between caregivers’ perception of
child weight and pressure to eat were investigated, with 13 being statistically significant. The statistically significant associations consistently reported that caregivers’ visual and self-reported perception of child weight
was positively associated with their restrictive feeding and negatively associated with pressure to eat. The pooled
odds ratios (ORs) indicated that caregivers who perceived their child as overweight were found to apply pressure
to eat less frequently (OR = 0.61; 95%CI: 0.44, 0.84) compared with those who did not. However, caregivers’
perception of child weight was not statistically significantly associated with restrictive feeding (OR = 1.37; 95%
CI: 0.74, 2.55).
Conclusion: Caregivers’ self-reported and visual perception of child weight may be important risk factors for nonresponsive feeding practices, particularly food restriction and pressure to eat. Thus, interventions need to
consider the role of caregivers’ perception of child weight, which may optimize feeding practices. Furthermore,
longitudinal and intervention-based studies using validated measurements while controlling for potential
covariates are needed to provide more evidence on their causal relationships.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 106343 |
| Journal | Appetite |
| Volume | 180 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2023 |