Objective

Maternal self-efficacy (MSE) is a well-established correlate of health outcomes in young children, though little is known about this association in older children. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine how MSE relates to mother-child feeding practices in middle childhood.

Methods

A total of 306 children ages 8–12 (Mean age = 9.72, SD = 0.91, 52.9% female) and their mothers participated in this study. Mothers completed the New General Self-Efficacy Scale and the Child Feeding Questionnaire. A series of hierarchical regression models were used to examine how MSE related to maternal food restriction, maternal pressure to eat, and maternal food monitoring.

Results

After accounting for maternal Body Mass Index (BMI), education, and age, and child Body Mass Index Percentile (BMI%ile) and age within the first step of each regression model, MSE emerged as a significant predictor for maternal restriction of foods (p = .024) and maternal food monitoring (p = .048). MSE was not significantly related to maternal pressure to eat.

Conclusions

This study is the first to establish that higher MSE is significantly related to healthier mother-child feeding practices in middle childhood, providing preliminary justification for enhancing MSE within comprehensive family interventions to support child weight-related health.

中文翻译：

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产妇自我效能感与童年时期的母婴喂养方式有关

目的

产妇自我效能感（MSE）是公认的年幼儿童健康结局相关因素，尽管对于年长儿童这种关联还知之甚少。这项横断面研究的目的是检验MSE与中年期母婴喂养方式之间的关系。

方法

共有306名8-12岁的儿童（平均年龄= 9.72，SD = 0.91，女性52.9％）和他们的母亲参加了这项研究。母亲们完成了新的一般自我效能感量表和儿童喂养问卷。一系列分层回归模型用于检验MSE与孕产妇饮食限制，孕产妇进食压力和孕产妇食品监测之间的关系。

结果

在每个回归模型的第一步中考虑了母亲的身体质量指数（BMI），教育程度和年龄以及儿童的身体质量百分比（BMI％ile）和年龄之后，MSE成为了限制母亲饮食的重要指标（p  = .024）和孕产妇食品监测（p  = .048）。MSE与母亲的进食压力没有显着相关。

结论

这项研究是第一个证实较高的MSE与中年期更健康的母婴喂养方式显着相关的研究，为在支持儿童体重相关健康的综合家庭干预措施中提高MSE提供了初步的依据。