Leiden University Student Repository

Zeeland, Lieke van (2025)

Samen aan tafel: De relatie tussen de voedingsstijl van ouders en het eetgedrag van het kind

Master thesis | Education and Child Studies (MSc)

Eating behavior in early childhood plays an important role in shaping dietary patterns later in life. As children grow older, healthy eating habits tend to decline, increasing the risk of overweight and related health problems. Parents influence their children’s eating behavior through their feeding style, although the effects may differ between boys and girls. This study aimed to examine the relationship between parental feeding style and children’s eating behavior, and whether this relationship varies by the children’s gender. Parents completed a self-report questionnaire assessing their children’s eating behavior and their own feeding style. Parental feeding style was measured through sensitivity and pressure, while children’s eating behavior was measured by eating pace and willingness to try new foods. The sample consisted of 52 children aged 0–79 months and their parents. Data were analyzed using multiple regression analyses. Results revealed a significant interaction between...Show moreEating behavior in early childhood plays an important role in shaping dietary patterns later in life. As children grow older, healthy eating habits tend to decline, increasing the risk of overweight and related health problems. Parents influence their children’s eating behavior through their feeding style, although the effects may differ between boys and girls. This study aimed to examine the relationship between parental feeding style and children’s eating behavior, and whether this relationship varies by the children’s gender. Parents completed a self-report questionnaire assessing their children’s eating behavior and their own feeding style. Parental feeding style was measured through sensitivity and pressure, while children’s eating behavior was measured by eating pace and willingness to try new foods. The sample consisted of 52 children aged 0–79 months and their parents. Data were analyzed using multiple regression analyses. Results revealed a significant interaction between sensitivity, gender, and eating pace, indicating that the relationship between sensitivity and eating pace differs for boys and girls. Further examination showed that the relationships within each gender were not significant on their own, but the difference between the two was significant. This suggests that higher sensitivity is associated with a faster eating pace in boys, in interaction with girls, whereas higher sensitivity appears to relate to a slower eating pace. This highlights that the influence of parental sensitivity on eating pace differs by gender, underlining the importance of personalized parenting strategies that take the individual child into account. No other significant results were found. However, the study had several limitations that may have prevented the identification of significant results. Further research is needed to better understand how parental feeding styles relate to children’s eating behavior and how these relationships may vary across genders.Show less

Author

Zeeland, Lieke van

Faculty

Faculty of Social & Behavioural Sciences

Specialisation

Orthopedagogiek

Supervisors

Oudega, M.H.
Guda, M.C.

ECTS Credits

20

Language

nl