Interpersonal Characteristics in the Home Environment Associated with Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity remains a leading cause of health problems that tend to persist into adulthood. The environment is increasingly noted as an important component of obesity prevention and treatment. For children, the home is a key shared environment where diet and activity behavioral patterns develop. The interpersonal home environment includes parenting styles and feeding practices, parent modeling of food behaviors, family meal environments, parent and child eating styles, as well as family functioning and organization. Numerous measures have been created to assess the food-related aspects of the interpersonal home environment and are discussed in this chapter.