Diet Quality of Overweight and Obese Mothers and Their Preschool Children

BackgroundChildren of obese parents are more likely to become obese than children of normal-weight parents. However, there is little information regarding the diet intakes of children of obese parents.ObjectiveOur objective was to determine the diet quality of preschoolers and their overweight/obese mothers, whether maternal and child diet quality were correlated, and predictors of child’s diet quality.DesignResults are from baseline measurements from a randomized controlled behavioral intervention.ParticipantsParticipants were English-literate, postpartum mothers and their preschoolers (n=177 mother−child dyads) in North Carolina. Visits took place in the Triangle and Triad regions of North Carolina between September 2007 and November 2009.Main outcome measuresWe measured diet quality of mothers and preschoolers using the Healthy Eating Index-2005.Statistical analyses performedDescriptive statistics, χ2, analysis of variance, Pearson correlations, and stepwise regression models were used.ResultsOnly 11% of children and 7% of mothers had Healthy Eating Index-2005 scores ≥80. Most children did not meet recommendations for fruits, vegetables, whole grains, meat and beans, sodium, saturated fat, and energy from solid fat and added sugars. Child diet quality was correlated with maternal diet quality (r=0.44; P<0.001). However, children and mothers differed in the proportion that met food-group recommendations: children vs mothers: total fruit (50% vs 14%), whole fruit (46% vs 28%), total vegetables (6% vs 18%), dark green and orange vegetables and legumes (7% vs 19%), total grains (57% vs 71%), milk (63% vs 22%), and meat and beans (33% vs 60%). Maternal diet quality and household income were positively correlated with child diet quality.ConclusionsThe diets of children of overweight/obese mothers need improvement in several areas. Mother’s diet quality and household income are important contributors to child’s diet quality and should be considered in efforts to improve the diets of these children.