Psychology Ph.D. Dissertations
Associations Among Parent Dieting, Dietary Restraint, and Children's Eating Attitudes and Behaviors
Date of Award
2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Department
Psychology/Clinical
First Advisor
Dara Musher-Eizenman (Committee Chair)
Second Advisor
Abby Braden (Committee Member)
Third Advisor
William O'Brien (Committee Member)
Fourth Advisor
Crystal Oechsle (Other)
Abstract
Children’s eating attitudes and behaviors are shaped by their parents, including disordered eating and risk for obesity. Research on the impacts on children of parent dieting is currently inconclusive. This study aimed to fill this gap in the literature by examining relations among parent dieting, parent dietary restraint, and children’s eating attitudes and behaviors. Two-hundred nine pre-adolescent children and their parents completed an online survey. Parents reported on their dieting behaviors and dietary restraint, motivations for dieting, fat talk in the home, and their children’s BMI, temperament, and dietary intake. Children reported on their eating attitudes and behaviors, awareness of parent’s dieting, and body dissatisfaction. Based on previous research, it was expected that the children of parents who report a greater number of dieting behaviors/more dietary restraint would have more negative eating behaviors. After controlling for demographic covariates, parent dietary restraint emerged as a stronger predictor of children’s eating behaviors than did parent dieting behaviors. Parent restraint significantly predicted child strict restraint, body dissatisfaction, and unhealthy dietary intake. Parent dieting was associated with increased risk for negative outcomes when children were aware of their dieting. Fat talk emerged as a possible mechanism through which parent dieting impacts children’s strict restraint. Future research should identify which aspects of dieting and dietary restraint are health promoting or damaging in an obesogenic food environment to reduce intergenerational risk for obesity and disordered eating.
Recommended Citation
Hamilton, Lindsay, "Associations Among Parent Dieting, Dietary Restraint, and Children's Eating Attitudes and Behaviors" (2023). Psychology Ph.D. Dissertations. 264.
https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/psychology_diss/264