Mothers' eating disorder history and mother and infant attention to food during infant meal times: a candidate for intergenerational transmission of eating disorder behaviours.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

There is evidence to suggest that individuals with eating disorders (EDs) show differences in attention to food compared to those without eating disorders. Children of mothers with eating disorders are at an elevated risk of developing an eating disorder themselves. One potential intergenerational pathway may be that parents, and then infants, pay more attention to food in interactions, which in turn mediates transmission of disordered eating behaviours, particularly those during feeding and mealtimes. No study has investigated whether mothers' ED behaviour history is associated with maternal and infant attention to food during infant feeding interactions.

Methods

Mothers and 7-month-old infants from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children Generation

SUBMITTER: Huntley F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12855412 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature