| Abstract: | Twenty-nine 18-month-old children and their parents participated in a laboratory study during which eating behavior was directly observed. Each of the parents selected food from a standard buffet and ate alone on separate occasions. The child ate at another time assisted by his or her mother who did not eat at the same time. Principal Components Analyses revealed three eating behaviors shared by parents and their children: caloric intake (meal content); active feed time (eating duration); and bite frequency (eating style). Mothers' eating style and fathers' duration of eating were correlated (r = .55). A pattern of rapid eating in mothers and prolonged eating in fathers was associated with a higher caloric intake in their child. Thus children's caloric intake was significantly correlated with mother's eating style (r = .49) and with father's duration of eating (r = .54). A weaker relationship was found between the caloric intakes of family members, and there was also a tendency for similar behaviors of parents and their children to be related. The implications of these findings for family-based weight control programs are examined. |
