UC Davis

High obesity rates among Hispanic children are a critical health concern, highlighting the need to understand factors that may underlie these disparities. Previous studies suggested parent feeding practices (i.e., pressure to eat, restriction, and food monitoring) are important factors affecting childhood obesity. Understanding factors affecting parent’s use of feeding practices is essential for developing interventions to combat childhood obesity in Hispanic families. Acculturation influences these practices, with more-acculturated Hispanic mothers favoring feeding practices related to indulgent feeding, while less-acculturated mothers tend toward feeding practices that are more authoritarian. However, the process through which acculturation results in the transitioning from behaviors consistent with an authoritarian feeding to those of an indulgent feeding has not been explored. This study investigates the associations between acculturation, partner relationship quality, parenting stress, and parent feeding practices within a sample of Hispanic mothers and their child (n = 99). Findings revealed that stronger orientation toward mainstream cultural values positively correlates with increased utilization of food monitoring practices. Furthermore, partner relationship quality mediates the association between parenting stress and food monitoring. These findings can inform the development of effective strategies to promote healthier outcomes for Hispanic children, contributing to the broader effort to address childhood obesity in this population.