Childhood Mealtime Experiences and Early Childcare and Education Staff Classroom Feeding Practices–Model Survey

Abstract

The Childhood Mealtime Experiences and Early Childcare and Education Staff Classroom Feeding Practices—Model (Zhang et al., 2023) was developed to investigate the relationship between remembered childhood mealtime experiences of early childcare and education (ECE) staff and their current classroom feeding practices. This study aimed to determine if reflecting on such past experiences could inform future ECE staff mealtime training strategies. The proposed items were adapted from previous research (SAS Institute Inc, 2015; Swindle et al., 2018). Cognitive interviews with diverse populations were utilized during item development, supporting the instrument’s potential validity (Sigman-Grant, 2008). The resulting measure was administered to a sample of ECE staff in the western United States. The study reported findings regarding the factor structure and internal consistency of the instrument.

Keywords

Adult Control of Foods; Autonomy Supporting Beliefs; Autonomy Supporting Strategies; Autonomy Undermining Strategies; Bribing with Sweet Foods; Childhood Mealtime Experiences; Classroom Feeding Practice; Coercive Beliefs; Concern-Based Control Beliefs; Current Beliefs About Mealtime; Current Verbal Mealtime Strategies; Early Childcare and Education Staff; Remembered Adult Control at Mealtimes; Remembered Child Autonomy Support at Mealtime Feeding Practices; Social Comparisons; Structural Mealtime Strategies; Supportive Adult Roles at Mealtime

Authors

Zhang, Dong; Swindle, Taren; Fletcher, Janice Williams; Sigman-Grant, Madeleine; Johnson, Susan L.

---

Purpose

The purpose of this measurement model is to assess remembered childhood mealtime experiences, as well as current classroom feeding practices, as reported by early childcare and education staff.

Validity

No data is Available. However, cognitive interviews with diverse populations were used in the development of the items and support the instrument’s potential validity (Sigman-Grant, 2008).

Reliability

Internal consistency:

• For Remembered Adult Control at Mealtimes and Remembered Child Autonomy Support at Mealtimes feeding practices, Cronbach’s alphas were 0.68 and 0.66, respectively.

• Kuder-Richardson values were 0.67, 0.64, and 0.55 for the three Structural Mealtime factors (Adult Control of Foods, Bribing with Sweet Foods, and Supportive Adult Roles at Mealtime), respectively.

• The Kuder-Richardson values for the three Verbal Mealtime Strategies were 0.61 for Autonomy Supporting Strategies, 0.43 for Autonomy Undermining Strategies, and 0.59 for Social Comparisons subscale.

• Cronbach’s alpha for the three factors of Beliefs about Mealtimes were 0.65 for Autonomy Promoting Beliefs, 0.77 for Coercive Beliefs, and 0.60 for Concern-based Control Beliefs, respectively.

Factor Analysis

Principal axis factoring:

• For constructs reflecting Remembering childhood mealtime experiences, an oblimin rotation with an iterated principal axes factor extraction using maximum likelihood identified two factors:

  1. Remembered Adult Control at Mealtimes (four questions)

  2. Remembered Child Autonomy Support at Mealtimes feeding practices (three questions)

• Three unique constructs (Structural Mealtime Strategies, Verbal Mealtime Strategies, and Beliefs about Mealtimes) were identified and confirmed through exploratory factor analysis, parallel analysis, internal consistency estimates, and convergence of factor inter-correlations.

Instrument

• Test Type: Original Survey

• Format: Response range: Always-often-sometimes-not often-never.

• Language Available: English

• Population Group: Human; Male; Female

• Age Group: Adulthood (18 yrs & older)

• Population Details:

  • Location: United States

  • Respondents: Early Care and Education Staff

• Test Methodology: Test Validity; Test Reliability; Internal Consistency; Factor Analysis; Exploratory Factor Analysis; Measurement Model; Structural Equation Modeling

Keywords

Childhood Mealtime Experiences; Early Childcare and Education Staff Classroom Feeding Practices

---

Authors

• Author ORCID Identifier:

  • Sigman-Grant, Madeleine: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8233-4156

• Affiliation:

  • Zhang, Dong: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Department of Family and Preventive Medicine

  • Swindle, Taren: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Department of Family and Preventive Medicine

  • Fletcher, Janice Williams: University of Idaho Emerita, Child, Family, and Consumer Studies

  • Sigman-Grant, Madeleine: University of Nevada Maternal and Child Health Specialist

  • Johnson, Susan L.: CU Anschutz Medical Campus, Children’s Eating Laboratory Department of Pediatrics, Section of Nutrition

• Email addresses:

  • Zhang, Dong: [email protected]

  • Swindle, Taren: [email protected]

  • Fletcher, Janice Williams: [email protected]

  • Sigman-Grant, Madeleine: [email protected]

  • Johnson, Susan L.: [email protected]

• Correspondence Address:

  • Sigman-Grant, Madeleine: University of Nevada, Maternal and Child Health Specialist, Reno, 2558 S Elizabeth Street, #5, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, 84106, [email protected]

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

• Permissions: May use for Research/Teaching

• Commercial: No

• Fee: No

• Test Year: 2023

References

Zhang, D., Swindle, T., Fletcher, J. W., Sigman-Grant, M., & Johnson, S. L. (2023). Remembered childhood mealtime experiences influence on early childcare and education staff. Appetite, 190, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2023.107003

---

Items of the Childhood Mealtime Experiences and Early Childcare and Education Staff Classroom Feeding Practices–Model

This is a 38-item measure.

Factors and Subscales:

• Constructs: Remembered Adult Control at Mealtimes; Remembered Child Autonomy; Structural Mealtime Strategies (Adult Control of Foods; Bribing with Sweet Foods; Supportive Adult Roles at Mealtime); Verbal Mealtime Strategies (Autonomy Supporting Strategies; Autonomy Undermining Strategies; Social Comparisons); Beliefs about Mealtimes (Autonomy Supporting Beliefs; Coercive Beliefs; Concern-based Control Beliefs).

Childhood Mealtime Experiences and Early Childcare and Education Staff Classroom Feeding Practices—Model

Questions from the about feeding children survey of early care and education staff ᵃ

THEN (remembered childhood mealtimes)

Response range: Always-often-sometimes-not often-never

Remembered Childhood Adult Control Mealtime Experiences (AS A CHILD …)

• adults gave me food when they were happy with me

• adults picked on me about my eating

• I ate more than adults thought I should

• I thought about or tried dieting

• I was allowed to choose which foods I ate at meals

• I was required to eat all the food on my plate

• I was allowed to decide how much I ate at meals

Supportive Adult Roles at Mealtime

• I wait to serve them sweet foods if they do not eat something from their plate.

• I serve sweet food after they eat the rest of the food on their plates.

• I eat the same food as children at mealtime.

• I sit with the children at mealtime.

• Both children and staff pass the food.

NOW (current ECE strategies and beliefs) ᵇ

Structural Mealtime Strategies

Adult Control of Foods

• I don’t let them have seconds of other foods until they try the new food.

• The children have to take at least one bite.

• I have the children eat one bite of each food.

Current Verbal Mealtime Strategies

Autonomy Supporting Strategies

• I ask the children if their stomachs are full.

• If children do not want to stop eating, I ask if their tummy is full.

• If picky children don’t want to eat, I ask if their tummy is full.

Bribing with Sweet Foods

• I have the children try the food before they can have sweet foods.

• I have the children finish their meal before eating sweet foods.

Autonomy Undermining Strategies

• I tell the children if they have not eaten enough.

• If picky children don’t want to eat, I suggest that they start eating what is on their plate.

Social Comparisons

• If picky children don’t want to eat, I let them know they don’t have to eat.

• To help children eat, I suggest that they need to eat more.

• I say something like “Pat is eating green beans. Why don’t you eat some?”

• I point out other children who are eating more.

Coercive Beliefs

• Having the new food on the table at mealtime and letting children decide when to try it

• Having a “one bite” rule

• Keeping them from having sweet foods until they try the new food

• Not having seconds of other foods unless they try the new food

Current Beliefs about Mealtime

Autonomy Supporting Beliefs

• Teaching children about new foods before offering the foods at mealtime

• Trying the new food with them

• Children are more likely to try a new food after they see me eat it

Concern-based Control Beliefs

• Suggesting they try a bite

• Adults know better than children how much children need to eat

• If children put food on their plates, they should eat it

• When a child is feeling sad, it’s okay to offer a cracker to help the child feel better

Note. ᵃConducted between 2002 and 2005 in four Western states (Sigman-Grant et al., 2008). ᵇSwindle et al., 2018. Response range: Always-often-sometimes-not often-never.