Parental Feeding Practices in Families Experiencing Food Insecurity: A Scoping Review

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 May 5;19(9):5604. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19095604.

Abstract

Parental feeding practices and styles influence child diet quality and growth. The extent to which these factors have been assessed in the context of disadvantage, particularly household food insecurity (HFI), is unknown. This is important, as interventions designed to increase responsive practices and styles may not consider the unique needs of families with HFI. To address this gap, a scoping review of studies published from 1990 to July 2021 in three electronic databases was conducted. A priori inclusion criteria were, population: families with children aged 0-5 years experiencing food insecurity and/or disadvantage; concept: parental feeding practices/behaviours/style; and context: high income countries. The search identified 12,950 unique papers, 504 full-text articles were screened and 131 met the inclusion criteria. Almost all the studies (91%) were conducted in the United States with recruitment via existing programs for families on low incomes. Only 27 papers assessed feeding practices or styles in the context of HFI. Of the eleven interventions identified, two assessed the proportion of participants who were food insecure. More research is required in families outside of the United States, with an emphasis on comprehensive and valid measures of HFI and feeding practices. Intervention design should be sensitive to factors associated with poverty, including food insecurity.

Keywords: feeding practices; food insecurity; infant feeding; parents; responsive feeding; scoping review.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Child
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Feeding Behavior
  • Food Insecurity*
  • Food Supply*
  • Humans
  • Poverty
  • United States

Grants and funding

KB is supported by a grant from the Children’s Hospital Foundation (Reference number WCCNR03) under the auspices of the Woolworths Centre for Childhood Nutrition Research (WCCNR). JS receives a PhD scholarship from the WCCNR.