Child temperament is associated with energy intake and its day-to-day variability among preschoolers-Results from a cross-sectional DAGIS study

Abstract

Background: Although research has linked children's temperament with weight outcomes, the associations between temperament and dietary outcomes, particularly energy intake, remain understudied. Furthermore, little is known about how temperament is associated with diet in the early childhood education and care (ECEC) context, which is an important environment for many children.

Objectives: This study examined whether temperament is associated with mean energy intake and its day-to-day variability. In addition, the associations were examined separately in the contexts of home and ECEC.

Methods: The study used data from 505 Finnish children from a cross-sectional DAGIS study conducted in 2015-2016. Parents reported their child's temperament with a questionnaire and food consumption with a food record for two weekdays (outside daycare hours) and one weekend day. Early educators at an ECEC centre reported the child's food consumption during the daycare hours on the same weekdays as the parents kept food records at home. Associations were examined with linear regression models.

Results: Children with higher surgency had a higher mean daily energy intake. When examined separately at home and in the ECEC centre, the association was found only in the ECEC centre. Children with higher negative affectivity had greater day-to-day variability in energy intake. This association, however, was not observed when examined separately at home and at the ECEC centre.

Conclusions: The results indicate that temperament may shape children's energy intake. Moreover, the role of the ECEC context in children's eating may be different depending on a child's temperamental dispositions, which warrants further research.

Keywords: children; diet; effortful control; negative affectivity; surgency.