Artificial intelligence as an analytic approximation to evaluate associations between parental feeding behaviours and excess weight in Colombian preschoolers

Parental practices can affect children's weight and BMI and may even be related to a high prevalence of obesity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between parents' practices related to feeding their children and excess weight in preschoolers in Bucaramanga, Colombia, using artificial intelligence. A cross-sectional study was carried out between September and December 2017. The sample included preschoolers who attended child development institutions belonging to the Colombian Institute for Family Wellbeing in Bucaramanga and the metropolitan area (n 384). The outcome variable was excess weight and the main independent variable was parental feeding practices. Confounding variables analysed included sociodemographic characteristics, food consumption, and children's physical activity. All equipment for the anthropometric measurements was calibrated. Logistic regression was used to predict the effect of parental practices on the excess weight of the children, and the AUC was used to measure performance. The parental practices with the greatest association with excess weight in the children involved using food to control their behaviour and restricting the amount of food they offered (use of food to control emotions (OR 1 center dot 77; 95 % CI 1 center dot 45, 1 center dot 83; P = 0 center dot 034) and encouraging children to eat less (OR 1 center dot 22; 95 % CI 1 center dot 14, 1 center dot 89; P = 0 center dot 045)). Childrearing practices related to feeding were found to be an important predictor of excess weight in children. The results of this study represent implications for public health considering this as a baseline for the design of nutrition education interventions focused on parents of preschoolers.

Automated summary

This study used artificial intelligence to evaluate the relationship between parental feeding practices and excess weight in preschoolers in Bucaramanga, Colombia. The research found that parental practices involving using food to control children's behavior, restricting food portion, and encouraging children to eat less were associated with excess weight in children. Childrearing practices related to feeding were identified as important predictors of excess weight in children, providing implications for designing nutrition education interventions aimed at parents of preschoolers in the future.