Evaluation of the Impact of Maternal Feeding Attitudes on Anthropometric Measurements in Aged 2–6 Years

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to assess the influence of maternal feeding attitudes on the anthropometric measurements of children aged 2–6 years.
METHODS: Mothers of children aged 2–6 years who applied to the outpatient clinics of the Family Medicine Clinic at Health Sciences University Þiþli Hamidiye Etfal Training and Research Hospital were included in this study. The children’s weight and height measurements were recorded, and the Sociodemographic Data Form was completed by the mothers. The Mother’s Attitudes Towards the Feeding Process Scale (MATFPS) was used to evaluate maternal feeding attitudes. A p value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
RESULTS: The study included 159 participants. The mean age of the children was 44.93 months. The mean weight was 16.67 kg, and the mean height was 102.06 cm. There were 29 children (18.2%) whose weight percentile and 44 children (27.7%) whose height percentile were outside the normal range (<25th percentile or ≥97th percentile). When the relationship between children’s height and weight percentiles and the total MATFPS score was evaluated, a negative correlation was found between children’s height and weight and the total MATFPS score (r=-0.236, p=0.003; r=-0.299, p<0.001, respectively). Children with height and weight percentiles <25p had the highest scores in the total and subscales of the MATFPS, whereas children with height and weight percentiles ≥97p had the lowest scores in the total and subscales.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that maternal feeding attitudes have an impact on children’s weight percentiles. Specifically, as negative maternal feeding attitudes increased, a decrease in children’s weight was observed. Therefore, maternal feeding practices should always be assessed during primary care follow-up visits.

Keywords: Child, feeding behavior, growth, maternal behavior