Parenting Style Influences on Appetite Regulation in African American Children and the Effect of the FTO Gene

Abstract

Purpose: Indulgent parent feeding-styles have been associated with higher child body mass index (BMI); more direct influences on children's eating are not well characterized. This study examined whether African American (AA) children exhibited poorer appetite regulation when mothers had an indulgent feeding style relative to other feeding styles. This study also examined whether the FTO gene influenced the relationship between feeding style and appetite regulation. Methods: An observational design was used to evaluate the association of maternal feeding styles with child appetite among 100 obese and non-obese AA children aged 5-6 y. The Child Feeding Styles Questionnaire was used to categorize maternal feeding styles as authoritative, authoritarian, indulgent or uninvolved. Observed child satiation was measured at 4 laboratory-based dinner meals (portion sizes 100%, 150%, 200%, and 250% of those offered in reference condition). Change in energy intake across the 4 meals was estimated using a random slope mixed effects linear model. Parents' reports of child satiety responsiveness were assessed using the Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire. Child BMI percentile and BMI-for-age z-scores were calculated using measured height and weights. Generalized linear models were used to predict child appetite using parental feeding styles (covariates: gender, child BMI, maternal education, and income). The study center collected DNA and RNA through saliva samples from each child participant. Of the 100 children enrolled, 32 obese children and a random sample of 32 non-obese children were selected for genotyping and expression analysis. This resulted in the genotyping of three FTO gene SNPs, rs9939609, rs3751812 and rs8050136. FTO mRNA levels were measured using TaqMan Gene Expression Assays. Results: Children of indulgent feeders showed lower satiation compared to other children by consuming more energy as food portion sizes were systematically increased (p Conclusions: These findings provide new evidence that indulgent feeding-styles are associated with poorer appetite regulation among AA children.