Childhood Food Experiences and Selected Eating Styles as Determinants of Diet Quality in Adulthood-A Cross-Sectional Study

Available studies suggest that childhood food experiences (CFE) may be linked with eating behaviors in adulthood, as well as eating style (ES); thus, both CFE and ES can determine dietary intake. Little is known about the role of both of these factors in explaining the diet quality (DQ) of adults. The aim was to investigate to what extent selected ESs, i.e., intuitive (IE), restrained (ResEat), and external (ExtEat) eating, and CFE related to parental feeding practices (PFPs) will predict the DQ of women and men. Data from 708 Polish adults (477 women and 231 men) aged 18-65 were collected via the Internet from October 2022 to January 2023. Mann-Whitney's U Test was used to compare ES and CFE levels among women and men, while DQ determinants were tested with the multiple linear regression (MLR). In the total study sample, Healthy Eating Guidance (CFE), Child Control (CFE), Body-Food Choice Congruence (IE), and ResEat favored higher DQ scores, while Unconditional Permission to Eat (IE), Eating for Physical Rather Than Emotional Reasons (IE), and ExtEat predisposed to lower DQ scores. After the MLR was conducted separately in women and men, differences were noted in the role of Healthy Eating Guidance (CFE), Pressure and Food Reward (CFE), Unconditional Permission to Eat (IE), Eating for Physical Rather Than Emotional Reasons (IE), ExtEat, and ResEat in predicting DQ indices. Our findings suggest that childhood food experiences and selected eating styles may differently determine the DQ of women and men. Future studies conducted within representative samples are needed to confirm these results.

Automated summary

Available studies suggest that childhood food experiences and selected eating styles may differently determine the dietary quality of women and men. The aim of this study was to investigate the predictors of diet quality, including intuitive, restrained, and external eating styles, as well as parental feeding practices related to childhood food experiences. Data were collected from 708 Polish adults and analyzed using Mann-Whitney's U Test and multiple linear regression. The results showed that certain eating styles and food experiences were associated with higher or lower diet quality scores. Furthermore, differences were observed between women and men in the predictors of diet quality. Further research with representative samples is needed to confirm these findings.