Relationship of home environment, maternal and child body size, and food environment in low income women and children

Home environments are of critical importance in the development of young children and especially children from minority communities. To determine the impact of a public health nurse based intervention that focuses on nutrition, parenting education, and stimulating home environment, a research study collected data from women and children in a Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

Mothers and children were recruited through several WIC clinics within the same county. The instruments used to collect data were based on the EMG and reflected the food environment (24 hour diet recall, Household Food Inventory [HFI]), the level of stimulation in the home (HOME Screening Questionnaire [HSQ], hours of TV viewing), the mother’s attitude toward child feeding (Child Feeding Questionnaire) and child and maternal body size.

 There are strong associations between all the macronutrients and many micronutrients. There are positive associations between the home environment, the food available in the home, and the mother’s body size.  The mother’s hours of sleep are also strongly related to the food available in the home and the home environment. There were no significant associations between types of food intake and child BMI, although there are for maternal BMI.

Types of food in the home affect mother and child body size. Mothers who sleep for a longer period of time also provide more stimulating home environments and more food in the home. In addition, the amount of high calorie food in the household is associated with the level of stimulation in the home.