SEEDS Research

Selected Research by SEEDS Developers Informing the Program Design

Fisher, J. O., Birch, L. L., Zhang, J., Grusak, M. A., & Hughes, S. O. (2013).  External influences on children’s self-served portions at meals.  International Journal of Obesity, 37, 954-960.

Hughes, S.O., Power, T.G., Fisher, J.O., Mueller, S., & Nicklas, T. A. (2005).  Revisiting a neglected construct: Parenting styles in a child-feeding context. Appetite, 44, 83-92.

Hughes, S. O., Power, T. G., Papaioannou, M. A., Cross, M. B., Nicklas, T. A., Hall, S. K., & Shewchuk, R, M. (2011). Emotional climate, feeding practices, and feeding styles: An observational analysis of the dinner meal in Head Start families. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 8:60.

Hughes, S. O., Shewchuk, R. M., Baskin, M. L., Nicklas, T. A., & Qu, H. (2008). Indulgent feeding style and children’s weight status in preschool. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 29, 403-410.

Johnson, S. L. (2000).  Improving preschoolers’ self-regulation of energy intake. Pediatrics, 106, 1429-1435.

Johnson, S. L, Bellows, L., Beckstrom, L., & Andersen, J. (2007).  Evaluation of a social marketing campaign targeting preschool children. American Journal of Health Behavior, 31, 44-55.

Johnson, S. L., & Birch, L. L. (1994).  Parents’ and children’s adiposity and eating style. Pediatrics, 94, 653-661.

Johnson, S.L., Hughes, S. O., Cui, X., Li, X., Allison, D. B., Liu, Y., Goodell, L. S., Nicklas, T., Power, T. G., & Vollrath, K. (2014).  Portion sizes for children are predicted by parental characteristics and the amounts parents serve themselves. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 99, 763-770.

Olvera, N., & Power, T. G. (2010).  Parenting styles and overweight in Mexican-American children: A longitudinal study. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 35, 243-249.

Olvera‑Ezzell, N., Power, T. G., & Cousins, J. H. (1990).  Maternal socialization of children’s eating habits: Strategies used by obese Mexican‑American mothers.  Child Development, 61, 395‑400.

Power, T. G., Hughes, S. O., Goodell, L. S., Johnson, S. L., Duran, J. A., Williams, K., Eaton, A. D., & Frankel, L. A. (2015). Feeding practices of low-income mothers: How do they compare to current recommendations? International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 12:34.

Focus Groups/Interviews Informing Program Development

Goodell, L. S., Johnson, S. L., Antono, A.C., Power, T. G., & Hughes, S. O. (2017). Strategies low-income mothers use to overcome their children’s food refusal. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 21, 68-76.

Introduction. Parents play a key role in the development of eating habits in preschool children, as they are the food “gatekeepers.” Repeated exposure to new foods can improve child food preferences and consumption. The objective of this study was to determine parent feeding strategies used to influence child acceptance of previously rejected foods (PRF). Methods. We conducted eighteen focus groups (total participants = 111) with low-income African American and Hispanic parents of preschool children (3- to 5-year-olds) in Texas, Colorado, and Washington. Through thematic analysis, we coded transcripts and analyzed coded quotes to develop dominant emergent themes related to strategies used to overcome children’s food refusal. Results. We found three major themes in the data: parents most often do not serve PRF; parents value their child eating over liking a food; and parents rarely use the same feeding strategy more than once for a PRF. Desiring to reduce waste and save time, parents said they most often intentionally decided not to purchase or serve PRF to their children. Discussion. Because parents’ primary goal in child feeding is getting children to eat (over acceptance of a variety of foods), strategies to help parents promote consumption of less easily accepted foods could help parents with child feeding struggles and improve children’s dietary quality.

Johnson, S. L., Goodell, L. S., Williams, K., Power, T. G., & Hughes, S.O. (2015).  Getting my child to eat the right amount. Mothers’ considerations when deciding how much food to offer their child at a meal. Appetite, 88, 24-32.

Feeding young children successfully requires parenting skills, trust that children will eat, and nutrition and child development knowledge to ensure that foods and the amounts offered are developmentally appropriate. Mothers are often responsible for determining how much food is offered to their children; however, the influences on mothers’ decisions regarding how much to offer their children – their motivations, goals for feeding and child consumption – have not been investigated. Study aims included gathering qualitative data regarding mothers’ decisional processes related to preparing a dinner meal plate for her preschooler. Low income mothers (n = 15 African American and n = 15 Latina mothers) were recruited from preschools in the Denver, CO metropolitan area to participate in semi-structured interviews. Mothers prepared a plate for their preschooler and were asked about influences on their decisions about portion sizes and their expectations for children’s eating. Data were coded by 2 independent coders using a consensus coding process and analyzed by investigators. Three themes emerged: (1) portion sizes differ for children who are “good” eaters and “picky” eaters; (2) mothers know the “right amounts” to serve their child; and (3) mothers have emotional investments in their children’s eating. Some influencing factors were child-centered (e.g. child’s likes and dislikes, “picky” and “good” eaters, and foods previously eaten in the day) and some related to adult expectations and concerns (nutrient content and waste). Interventions focusing on portion size may be more effective if tailored to the mothers’ perceptions regarding her child’s eating characteristics.

SEEDS Publications

Hughes, S.O., Power, T.G., Beck, A., Betz, D.L., Calodich, S.M., Goodell, S., Hill, L.G., Hill, R., Jaramillo Duran, A., Johnson, S., Lanigan, J.D., Lawrence, A.C., Martinez, A., Nesbitt, M., Overath, R., Parker, L.A., & Ullrich-French, S.C. (2016). Strategies for Effective Eating Development— SEEDS: Design of an obesity prevention program to promote healthy food preferences and eating self-regulation in low-income children. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 48, 405-418.

Objective.  To develop a scientifically based childhood obesity prevention program supporting child eating self-regulation and taste preferences. This article describes the research methods for the Strategies for Effective Eating Development program. A logic model is provided that depicts a visual presentation of the activities that will be used to guide the development of the prevention program.

Design. Randomized, controlled prevention program, pretest, posttest, 6 months, and 12 months.  Setting.  Two sites: Houston, TX and Pasco, WA. Each trial will last 7 weeks with 8–10 mother–child dyads in each arm (prevention and control).  Participants.  Recruitment at Head Start districts (Texas; n = 160) and Inspire Child Development Center including Early Childhood Education and Head Start (Washington; n = 160). Sixteen trials with 16–20 parent–child dyads per trial will provide adequate power to detect moderate effects.  Intervention.  Multicomponent family-based prevention program incorporating a dialogue approach to adult learning and self-determination theory.  Main Outcome Measures.  Child assessments will include observed taste preferences, caloric compensation, and eating in the absence of hunger. Parent assessments will include parent-reported feeding, feeding emotions, acculturation, child eating behaviors, child food preferences, and child dietary intake. Heights and weights will be measured for parent and child.  Analysis.  A multilevel growth modeling analysis will be employed to consider the nested nature of the data: time points (level 1) within families (level 2) within trials (level 3).

Hughes, S.O., Power, T. G., Beck, A., Betz, D., Goodell, L. S., Hopwood, V., Jaramillo, J. A., Lanigan, J., Diaz Martinez, A., Micheli, N., Olivera, Y., Overath, I., Parker, L., Ramos, G., Thompson, Y. P., & Johnson, S. L. (2020).  Short-term effects of an obesity prevention program among low-income Hispanic families with preschoolers. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 52, 224-239.

Objective.  To assess the short-term effects of an obesity prevention program promoting eating self-regulation and healthy food preferences in low-income Hispanic children.  Design.  Randomized controlled trial with pretest, posttest, and 6- and 12-month assessments.  Setting and Participants.  Head Start and similar early learning institutions in Houston, TX, and Pasco, WA. A total of 255 families with preschoolers randomized into prevention (n = 136) and control (n = 119) groups.  Intervention.  Multicomponent family-based prevention program. Fourteen waves lasted 7 weeks each with 8–10 mother–child dyads in each group.  Main Outcome Measures.  Parent assessments included feeding practices, styles, and knowledge. Child assessments included child eating self-regulation, willingness to try new foods, and parent report of child fruit and vegetable preferences. Parent and child heights and weights were measured.  Analysis.  Multilevel analyses were employed to consider the nested nature of the data: time points within families within waves.  Results.  The program had predicted effects on parental feeding practices, styles, and knowledge in the pre- to post-comparisons. Effects on child eating behavior were minimal; only the number of different vegetables tried showed significant pre-post differences.  Conclusions and Implications.  Short-term effects of this prevention program highlight the importance of family-focused feeding approaches to combating child overweight and obesity.

Hughes, S.O., Power, T. G., Beck, A., Betz, D., Goodell, L. S., Hopwood, V., Jaramillo, J. A., Lanigan, J., Diaz Martinez, A., Micheli, N., Olivera Guerrero, Y., Overath, I., Parker, L., Ramos, G., Thompson, Y. P., Papaioannou, M. A., & Johnson, S. L. (2021).  Twelve-month efficacy of an obesity prevention program targeting Hispanic families with preschoolers from low-income backgrounds. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 53, 677-690.

Objective.  Assess effects of an obesity prevention program promoting eating self-regulation and healthy preferences in Hispanic preschool children.  Design.  Randomized controlled trial with pretest, posttest, 6- and 12-month assessments. Fourteen waves, each lasting 7 weeks.  Setting.  Families recruited from Head Start across 2 sites.  Participants.  Two hundred fifty-five families randomized into prevention (n = 136) or control (n = 119).  Intervention.  Prevention received curriculum; control received no curriculum.  Main Outcome Measure(s).  Feeding knowledge/practices/styles (parent); body mass index percentile, eating self-regulation, trying new foods, and fruit/vegetable consumption (child).  Analysis.  Multilevel analyses for nested data (time points within families; families within waves) and multinomial regression.  Results. Program increased mothers’ repeated presentation of new foods (P < 0.05), measured portion sizes (P < 0.05), child involvement in food preparation (P < 0.001), feeding responsiveness (P < 0.001), knowledge of best feeding practices (P < 0.001), and feeding efficacy (P < 0.05), reduced feeding misconceptions (P < 0.01), and uninvolved feeding (P < 0.01). Effects on child eating behavior were minimal. At 12 months, children in the prevention group were less likely to have overweight (P < 0.05) or obesity (P < 0.05).  Conclusions and Implications.  Program effects emphasize the importance of feeding approaches in reducing childhood obesity.