Parents of 5-to-12-year-old children with food allergies report more frequent use of structure-based food parenting practices

Abstract

Objectives: Food parenting practices (FPP) can have effects on children’s eating behaviors. Over 8 million children in the US have food allergies, however, little is known about FPP for those who have children with food allergies. The objective of this study was to describe FPP among children with food allergies. Methods: Recruited across the United States using ResearchMatch in February and March 2021, parents of children ages 5–12 years (n = 346; n = 77 with food allergies) completed a single, online survey which measured health history, demographics, and FPP. Linear regressions were used to examine associations between FPP of children with and without food allergies, and associations between food allergy factors and FPP. Results: Parents of children with food allergies reported greater use of limit exposure than parents of children without food allergies (B = 0.131; [CI], 0.021–0.293; P = 0.024), with no differences in other types of FPP. Conclusions: Parents of children with food allergies reported more frequent structure-based FPP than parents of children without food allergies. More work is needed to explore mechanisms that promote positive food parenting among this population.

Keywords

• Food allergy
• Children
• Food parenting
• Parent feeding practices