INSIGHT Responsive Parenting Intervention for Firstborns and the Association with Feeding Practices for Secondborns
Open Access
- Author:
- Ruggiero, Cara
- Graduate Program:
- Nutritional Sciences
- Degree:
- Master of Science
- Document Type:
- Master Thesis
- Date of Defense:
- March 14, 2019
- Committee Members:
- Jennifer Savage Williams, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Ian Paul, Committee Member
Kathleen Loralee Keller, Committee Member
Zita Oravecz, Committee Member - Keywords:
- siblings
obesity
responsive feeding
intervention - Abstract:
- Background: Parent feeding has been associated with childhood obesity risk. The Intervention Nurses Start Infant Growing on Healthy Trajectories (INSIGHT) study’s responsive parenting (RP) intervention, initiated in early infancy, prevented the use of non-responsive, controlling feeding practices and promoted use of more sensitive, structure-based feeding among first-time parents compared with controls. Objective: The objective of this secondary analysis was to examine the effect of the RP intervention on maternal feeding practices with their secondborn (SBs) infants enrolled in an observational only study and to test the moderating effect of spacing of births and feeding mode. Design: SB infants (n=117) of INSIGHT participants were enrolled into the observation only ancillary study, SIBSIGHT. SBs were singleton infants ≥36 weeks’ gestation with no medical conditions that would impact feeding. Dietary intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. Infant feeding practices (i.e., bottle feeding practices, food to soothe, use of structure vs. control-based practices) were assessed by phone interviews and online surveys using validated questionnaires: Babies Need Soothing Questionnaire, Infant Feeding Styles Questionnaire, and the Structure and Control in Parent Feeding Questionnaire. Results: SBs were delivered 2.5 0.9 years after firstborns (FBs). When SBs reached age 1 year, RP group mothers were more likely to use consistent feeding routines (p<0.001). RP group mothers were also less likely to use non-responsive, controlling feeding practices such as pressuring their SB infant to finish the bottle/food (p<0.01) and use food to soothe (p=0.01). No study group differences were found in what SB infants were fed. Conclusions: Anticipatory guidance given to mothers of FBs on RP can prevent the use of non-responsive, controlling feeding practices while establishing consistent feeding routines in subsequent children.