The relative reinforcing value (RRV) of food captures individual differences in the motivation to eat and is associated with weight status among infants, children, and adults. Currently, there is no concurrent measure of the RRV of food versus a non-food alternative for 4-to-5-year-old children. The present study aimed to develop and validate a measure of the RRV of food versus time spent interacting with a parent in the context of reading among 4-to-5-year-old children. The first phase of the study involved an online survey. Parents of 4-to-5-year-olds (n = 102) reported their children's consumption frequency and liking for thirty-six snack foods. A priori criteria were used to identify snacks that were well-liked and served at least sometimes for use in the subsequent laboratory study. Then, a validation study was conducted in the laboratory to examine the construct validity of the finalized RRV task. Thirty-one parent-child dyads completed a laboratory visit, in which children's RRV of food versus time spent reading with a parent was measured concurrently on a progressive fixed ratio reward schedule. Linear regression was used to assess validity of the task. Children's RRV of food positively and significantly predicted BMI z-scores among children with complete data (B = 0.41, p < 0.05, n = 28). Maximum schedules reached for food also positively and significantly predicted BMI z-scores (B = 0.30, p < 0.05). The relationship between maximum schedules reached for parent-child reading and BMI z-scores was in the expected direction, but this relationship was non-significant. Results support the validity and feasibility of the RRV paradigm used in the present study. Future research could continue to examine the measurement properties of this paradigm, as well as the potential for positive parent-child interactions to serve as a novel alternative to food.

中文翻译：

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开发一种衡量幼儿食物与亲子互动的相对强化价值的方法

食物的相对强化值 (RRV) 反映了进食动机的个体差异，并与婴儿、儿童和成人的体重状况相关。目前，没有同时测量 4 至 5 岁儿童的食物与非食物替代品的 RRV。本研究旨在开发和验证食物的 RRV 与在 4 至 5 岁儿童阅读环境中与父母互动所花费的时间的衡量标准。研究的第一阶段涉及在线调查。4 至 5 岁儿童的父母 (n = 102) 报告了他们孩子的消费频率和对 36 种零食的喜好。先验标准被用来确定受欢迎的零食，至少有时会在随后的实验室研究中使用。然后，在实验室进行了一项验证研究，以检查最终 RRV 任务的结构有效性。31 个亲子二人组完成了一次实验室访问，其中在渐进式固定比率奖励计划中同时测量了儿童的食物 RRV 与与父母一起阅读的时间。线性回归用于评估任务的有效性。在具有完整数据的儿童中，儿童的食物 RRV 积极且显着地预测 BMI z 分数（B = 0.41，p < 0.05，n = 28）。食物达到的最大时间表也积极且显着地预测了 BMI z 分数（B = 0.30，p < 0.05）。亲子阅读达到的最大时间表与BMI z分数之间的关系在预期的方向上，但这种关系不显着。结果支持本研究中使用的 RRV 范式的有效性和可行性。未来的研究可以继续检查这种范式的测量特性，以及积极的亲子互动作为食物的新替代品的潜力。