Blight, Elizabeth (2011) A Comparison of Fathers and Mothers on the Factors Associated With Childhood Feeding Difficulties. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
Feeding difficulties are common in normally developing children with consequences varying by cause and severity to include growth or nutritional deficits, developmental delays, or problematic feeding relationships. Research has focused on older children or those with comorbidity, and has predominantly utilised mothers as informants. Therefore, knowledge is limited on the feeding habits of normally developing young children and the role of fathers in feeding. A cross-sectional study with convenience sampling facilitated the comparison of the feeding behaviour of normally developing toddler to preschool aged children and associated parenting mealtime constructs as reported by 39 fathers on the Parent and Toddler Feeding Assessment (PATFA) with 39 mothers from research by Adamson (2011). Fathers (M = 68.21, SD = 11.03) reported using more frequent unhelpful mealtime strategies than mothers (M = 63.12, SD = 10.30), differing by 5.09[-9.90 to -0.27], t(76) -2.11, p = .039, r = 0.25, at 0.19 power. Mothers’ and fathers’ did not differ on reports of the frequency of child mealtime behaviour, t(76) = 0.51, the behaviour as problematic, t(70) = 0.16, confidence handling the behaviour, t(65) = 0.63, thoughts on mealtimes, t(75) = 0.45, or mealtime thoughts involving partners, t(67) = 0.03, all ns. Mother and father subgroups based on concern over feeding difficulties did not differ on PATFA scores either. Intercorrelations of PATFA scores by group showed similar but interesting patterns that emphasised the role of cognitions over strategies in reported child behaviour frequency. Two parent strategies and one cognitive item also differed by group. Groups were predominantly composed of financially sound, university educated couples, with children identified as White. Fathers worked longer hours than mothers, as did the partners of mothers compared to the partners of fathers. Children averaged one sibling, although 35% had no siblings. Although THE ROLE OF FATHERS IN FEEDING iv mothers’ children were younger than fathers’ children, preliminary analyses indicated no relevant differences related to this or work hour differences. Convergent validity was assessed by current participants completing the Children’s Eating Behavior Inventory (CEBI) to provide Total Eating Problem and Total Perceived Problem scores to correlate with PATFA scores (Child Frequency, Child Problem, Parent Confidence, Parent Strategies, Parent Cognitions, and Partner Cognitions). All correlations were significant, ranging from rs = -.37, p = .017, to rs = .83, p < .001, and as expected, Parent Confidence scores correlated negatively. Results suggest fathers are similar to mothers regarding many child feeding aspects, which may be due to low power, and that mealtime cognitions are an important factor in child mealtime behaviour. These findings will expand the literature on the feeding habits of young children and inform feeding assessment and intervention programs. Strong convergent validity further supports the PATFA as a valid measure of childhood feeding.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Sciences - Department of Psychology (Up to 30 Jun 2013) |
| Supervisors: | Michelle Adamson |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Science (Honours) |
| Date Deposited: | 19 Aug 2025 02:45 |
| Last Modified: | 19 Aug 2025 02:45 |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52161 |
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