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Infant temperament and parent use of food to soothe predict change in weight-for-length across infancy: early risk factors for childhood obesity

International Journal of Obesity volume 42, pages 1631–1638 (2018)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objectives

Greater weight gain in infancy is a risk factor for childhood obesity. The present study examined the interaction between infant temperament and parent use of food to soothe infant distress (FTS) as predictors of weight gain across the first 2 years of life.

Subjects/Methods

A total of 160 mother–infant dyads were recruited into a longitudinal study. Infant temperament was assessed by parents through a questionnaire (surgency, negativity) and by observer ratings (surgency, irritability) during a laboratory visit when infants were 6 months old. Parents also completed a 3-day infant cry diary when their children were 6 months of age to assess when they used food in response to infant cry/fuss bouts. Infant weight/length was measured in the lab at 6 and 18 months. Multiple regressions were run to test the moderating effect of FTS on weight gain.

Results

Significant interactions were revealed for both measures of surgency and parent FTS in predicting weight gain. Surgent infants whose parents had a greater tendency to use FTS had greater weight-for-length gain in 1 year than if their parents tended to use less FTS. The interaction between observer ratings of irritability and parent FTS was also significant but in an unexpected direction.

Conclusions

The findings point to the role of temperament, specifically surgency, in weight gain during infancy, but only if their parents used FTS. Surgency may have evoked this feeding practice that increased their health risk.

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Acknowledgements

The authors want to thank the families who participated in the study.

Funding

The study was support by a grant from the NIDDK (DK081512) awarded to the first author. Support for the second author was provided in part by Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Grant no. 2011-67001-30117 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Childhood Obesity27 Prevention Challenge Area e A2121.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, State College, PA, USA

    Cynthia A. Stifter

  2. University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA

    Kameron J. Moding

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  1. Cynthia A. Stifter
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  2. Kameron J. Moding
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cynthia A. Stifter.

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Stifter, C.A., Moding, K.J. Infant temperament and parent use of food to soothe predict change in weight-for-length across infancy: early risk factors for childhood obesity. Int J Obes 42, 1631–1638 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-018-0006-4

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