Relação entre temperamento infantil, estilo parental e seletividade alimentar em crianças de quatro a sete anos

Abstract

The interactions between child temperament, parental feeding styles, and feeding difficulties play a central role in the development of children's eating behavior. This cross-sectional study examined how child temperament and parental feeding styles are related to feeding difficulties in children aged four to seven years. A total of 122 mothers or primary caregivers participated, answering virtual questionnaires on sociodemographic data, feeding difficulties (EBAI), food selectivity (CEBQ), child temperament (CCTI), and parental feeding styles (QEPA). The research resulted in the production of two articles. The first identified that more demanding parental practices were associated with greater feeding difficulties and lower child weight, while more responsive practices showed the opposite relationship. The second article observed that children with higher emotionality and lower self-regulation capacity exhibited greater food selectivity, especially when subjected to more demanding and less responsive parental styles. Additionally, both child temperament and parental styles demonstrated a predictive role in food selectivity. These findings reinforce the importance of parent-child interactions in feeding, highlighting the impact of temperament and parenting practices on the development of feeding difficulties. Understanding these relationships can support intervention strategies to guide parents and health professionals in promoting healthier eating habits and preventing feeding difficulties in childhood.