Differences in food parenting at home versus restaurants among parents of 3-to-8-year-old children

Indulgent parent feeding styles have been linked to less healthful eating behaviors and higher BMI among children. Restaurants are becoming a frequent eating environment for children. Frequent intake of food from restaurants has been associated with increased weight status, making restaurants a target for childhood obesity prevention efforts. Currently, little research has considered parent feeding styles in restaurants and how they might differ from the home setting. Given the increased frequency of children's restaurant consumption, examining parent feeding styles in restaurants may contribute to future research in this area. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine parent feeding styles at home and in restaurants. Parents whose 3-to-8-year-old children dined out regularly completed a one-time, online survey in February/March 2022. The Care-giver's Feeding Style Questionnaire assessed parent feeding styles at home and in restaurants. Differences in feeding styles were examined across settings. Indulgent feeding styles were most common overall. Parents (n symbolscript 117; 92% mothers; 85% white; 61% reported household income > $75,000/year) reported higher demanding-ness at home (M symbolscript 2.6 symbolscript 0.5) compared to restaurants (M symbolscript 2.4 symbolscript 0.5; specialIntscript symbolscript 6.7, P < 0.001). Parents were more likely to use indulgent feeding styles (X2 symbolscript 11.6, P < 0.001) and less likely to use authoritarian feeding styles (X2 symbolscript 4.6, P < 0.05) in restaurants compared to the home, suggesting parent feeding styles are less structured in restaurants. Results may have implications for future healthy eating interventions in away-from-home contexts.