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) is a specialized survey instrument developed to investigate the crucial relationship between an early childcare and education (ECE) staff member’s remembered childhood mealtime experiences and their current feeding practices within the classroom setting. The core objective of this study was to determine whether reflecting upon these past experiences could be leveraged to enhance and inform future professional development and training strategies for ECE staff regarding child feeding.

The instrument development process involved adapting items from established prior research (SAS Institute Inc, 2015; Swindle et al., 2018). Furthermore, cognitive interviews were utilized with diverse populations during item development, supporting the instrument’s potential psychometric properties. The resulting 38-item measure was subsequently administered to a sample of ECE staff located in the western United States. Initial findings provided comprehensive details regarding the instrument’s factor structure and internal consistency, establishing a foundation for its use in research on feeding practices.

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 central purpose of this measurement model is to assess two distinct but related psychological constructs as reported by early childcare and education staff: first, their recalled childhood mealtime experiences, and second, their observed or self-reported current classroom feeding practices.

By linking retrospective reports of personal history with current professional behavior, the survey provides a critical tool for understanding the psychological mechanisms influencing how ECE professionals manage feeding environments and promote healthy eating habits in young children. The data collected is intended to guide the development of targeted, evidence-based training programs.

Construct

The survey is a 38-item measure designed to capture three complex, multi-faceted domains related to feeding behavior and cognition among ECE staff, with items divided into subscales reflecting specific strategies and beliefs.

The primary constructs measured include:

• Remembered Childhood Mealtime Experiences: This domain assesses the staff member’s perception of control and autonomy during their own childhood mealtimes (e.g., Remembered Adult Control at Mealtimes; Remembered Child Autonomy Support).

• Current Classroom Feeding Practices (Strategies): This domain captures observable behaviors used in the classroom, categorized into Structural Mealtime Strategies (e.g., Adult Control of Foods, Bribing with Sweet Foods, Supportive Adult Roles at Mealtime) and Verbal Mealtime Strategies (e.g., Autonomy Supporting Strategies, Autonomy Undermining Strategies, Social Comparisons).

• Current Beliefs about Mealtime: This domain assesses the cognitive factors underlying feeding practices, including Autonomy Supporting Beliefs, Coercive Beliefs, and Concern-based Control Beliefs.

Validity

Formal quantitative validity data, such as criterion or discriminant validity, were not explicitly reported in the initial publication. However, the instrument’s development process incorporated crucial qualitative steps to ensure the relevance and comprehensibility of the items among the target population.

Specifically, cognitive interviews were conducted with diverse populations during the item generation and refinement phases. This qualitative validation step is essential for establishing preliminary content and face validity, ensuring that the survey questions are interpreted as intended by early childcare and education staff (Sigman-Grant, 2008).

Reliability

Reliability was assessed using measures of internal consistency, employing Cronbach’s alpha for continuous factors and Kuder-Richardson (KR-20) values for dichotomous factors.

The reported internal consistency values for the key constructs are summarized below:

• Remembered Childhood Experiences: Cronbach’s alphas were 0.68 for Remembered Adult Control at Mealtimes and 0.66 for Remembered Child Autonomy Support at Mealtimes.

• Structural Mealtime Strategies (KR-20): The Kuder-Richardson values were 0.67 for Adult Control of Foods, 0.64 for Bribing with Sweet Foods, and 0.55 for Supportive Adult Roles at Mealtime.

• Verbal Mealtime Strategies (KR-20): The Kuder-Richardson values were 0.61 for Autonomy Supporting Strategies, 0.43 for Autonomy Undermining Strategies, and 0.59 for Social Comparisons subscale.

• Beliefs about Mealtimes (Cronbach’s alpha): Internal consistency was 0.65 for Autonomy Promoting Beliefs, 0.77 for Coercive Beliefs, and 0.60 for Concern-based Control Beliefs.

Factor Analysis

The factor structure of the instrument was determined through the application of Principal Axis Factoring. For constructs related to remembered childhood mealtime experiences, an oblimin rotation coupled with an iterated principal axes factor extraction utilizing maximum likelihood identified two primary factors:

1. Remembered Adult Control at Mealtimes (comprising four questions).

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

Furthermore, three unique, higher-order constructs reflecting current ECE staff practices and beliefs—Structural Mealtime Strategies, Verbal Mealtime Strategies, and Beliefs about Mealtimes—were identified and confirmed. This confirmation relied on a rigorous process involving exploratory factor analysis, parallel analysis, internal consistency estimates, and the convergence analysis of factor inter-correlations, establishing a robust measurement model for ECE feeding behaviors.

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 Email addresses:

• Zhang, Dong: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Department of Family and Preventive Medicine; [email protected]

• Swindle, Taren: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Department of Family and Preventive Medicine; [email protected]

• Fletcher, Janice Williams: University of Idaho Emerita, Child, Family, and Consumer Studies; [email protected]

• Sigman-Grant, Madeleine: University of Nevada Maternal and Child Health Specialist; [email protected]

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

The instrument is generally available for academic and educational purposes.

• Permissions: May use for Research/Teaching

• Commercial: No

• Fee: No

• Test Year: 2023

Reference’s

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 Survey

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

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.