Childhood is considered an essential phase for the formation of eating habits, and the way parents and caregivers interact with children during meals is fundamental to these habits’ formation. This interaction in the first years of life can positively or negatively influence feeding. The objective of this review was to investigate the influence that parents have on their children's nutrition during childhood. A bibliographic survey of the last ten years published articles on the subject was carried out in the scientific database PubMed. The results indicated that parents influence the feeding of their children through parental practices (pressure to eat, restriction, monitoring of children's food); family eating behavior (mealtimes, eating at the table) and children's eating behavior (autonomy, children's food preferences, involvement in food preparation, intake of fruits and vegetables). Parents who have healthier eating habits and positive parenting practices, such as having family meals and involving the child in food preparation, tend to have children with healthier eating habits. However, negative parenting practices, such as using pressure on the child to eat, using food as a reward, and restricting some food group, generate an inadequate childhood eating habit, encouraging a preference for less nutritious and more caloric foods.
|
