Because parents/primary caregivers of younger children can positively influence their children’s eating habits, nutrition intake, and opportunities for physical activity, assessing parenting/primary caregiver behaviours is an important component of an ongoing, comprehensive assessment.
The expert panel recommends that nurses assess parental/primary caregiver behaviours prior to an intervention and during follow-up to determine the following:
1. How much influence parents/primary caregivers have with regard to what and when their children eat;
2. Whether parents/primary caregivers encourage their children to consume a variety of foods;
3. Whether parents/primary caregivers engage in emotional feeding or the use of food to pacify children;
4. Whether parents/primary caregivers engage in instrumental feeding, or the use of food as a reward;
5. Whether parents/primary caregivers permit meals and snacks to be eaten in front of a television;
6. Whether meals are frequently eaten together as a family;
7. How often a family goes out to eat “fast food” (e.g. fast food restaurants);
8. Whether an infant is breastfeeding;
9. Whether sugar-sweetened beverages are consumed on a regular basis;
10. Whether children eat a healthy breakfast daily;
11. Whether children’s portion sizes follow nutrition guidelines; and
12. Whether children are permitted to self-regulate their meals