CAREGIVER FEEDING STYLE IN MAGELANG AND WONOSOBO DISTRICTS

Diah Yunitawati1, Leny Latifah1, Nur Ihsan2 and Marizka Khairunnisa1

Abstract

Parents influence their children’s eating behaviors through the food they prepare and how they interact with them. This article aimed to identify caregiver feeding style and their relationship with the maternal and children characteristics in children under two years. The cross-sectional study was conducted in Magelang and Wonosobo Districts, Indonesia. Respondents were 362 mothers with children aged 12-24 months. Variables in this study were caregiver feeding style, child characteristics (age, gender, birth order), and maternal characteristics (age, education, occupation, parity, and family economic status). Data analyses used were the Chi-square test and logistic regression. Mothers with a high school education or higher contributed 14% of the research participants. Working and non-working mothers are nearly equal. As many as 50% of mothers were under the age of 20. Quintile 4 contributes the smallest percentage (18.23%). The authoritative and indulgent caregiver feeding styles were nearly identical (52.21% and 47.79%). The child’s age and mother’s employment status were related to parent-child feeding with p=0.005 and p=0.015, respectively. Older child age is a protective factor for indulgent style (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0.53; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.340-0.815, p=0.004), and working mothers have a higher risk for indulgent style (aOR = 1.72; 95%CI: 1.123-1.623, p=0.012). The feeding style was the more authoritative type. The feeding style of children under two years old is related to the child’s age and the status of the working mother.