<p> Short-term longitudinal study of mother-infant feeding interactions is rare in the infant obesity, growth, eating disorder, and attachment research. Beginning at birth through 3 months of age, this case-study replication series utilized archival data of 12 mother-infant pairs videotaped during weekly bottle-feeding sessions in their homes. Measures included infant weight and length and amount of food ingested. Videotapes were scored according to five infant and nine maternal observed feeding behaviors scaled on the Interaction Rating Scale - Feeding Ratings, a global measure of mother-infant feeding interactions. Study hypotheses proposed that the more optimal the mothers’ or infants’ behaviors, the larger the weight or BMI of the infant or the more food the infant ingested at a feeding session. Spearman rank-order correlation time-point analyses on 69 feeding observations showed statistically significant relationships. All combined infant behavior ratings as well as specific infant behavior ratings of State Rating, Physical Activity, and Gaze Behavior were significantly related to larger infant weight or infant BMI. Regarding maternal behavior ratings, statistically significant negative correlations were found between Persistence in Feeding and infant weight, Contingent Vocalization and BMI, and Gaze Behavior and amount of food ingested. These results have implications for further theorizing about the early antecedents of pediatric obesity in particular, but also for the development of caregiver-infant attachment in general.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:10053387 |
| Date | 30 March 2016 |
| Creators | Moore, Roxanne Rose |
| Publisher | Fielding Graduate University |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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