LAUSR

Little is known about how fathers' food parenting practices (FPPs) are linked with children's eating behaviors and whether these associations differ from mothers. This study examined associations between paternal and maternal FPPs and eating behaviors among children aged 5-12 years. A sample of 565 parents (53% fathers) completed: 1) the FPP item bank, which measured 11 FPP constructs from the three domains of parenting (control, autonomy promotion, and structure) and 2) the Children's Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ), to assess four constructs (emotional overeating, food responsiveness, satiety responsiveness and food fussiness). Multivariable linear regressions evaluated associations between FPP and CEBQ constructs, and models were run separately for fathers and mothers. Similarities emerged between fathers and mothers: 1) restriction for weight practices were associated with greater emotional overeating and food responsiveness; 2) greater parenting practices around food to accommodate the child and lower practices to involve the child were associated with greater food fussiness; and 3) using practices to accommodate the child, or using coercive controlling practices, was associated with greater children's emotional overeating. Differences emerged between fathers and mothers in terms of FPPs associated with children's food and satiety responsiveness, with a greater number of fathers' FPPs predictive of these behaviors. Our results suggest that fathers likely exert a unique influence on their children's eating behaviors and stress the need for interventions to account for the role each parent plays promoting healthy eating habits.