Previously submitted to: JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting (no longer under consideration since Aug 13, 2025)
Date Submitted: May 22, 2025
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Healthy parenting in digital times: A pre-post evaluation of a virtual workshop on parental feeding practices
ABSTRACT
Background:
Healthy eating in early childhood is key to preventing obesity and other nutritional disorders. Parental practices are crucial in shaping eating habits from the earliest years of life.
Objective:
This study aimed to design, implement, and evaluate a virtual workshop for caregivers to promote practices that encourage the acceptance of healthy foods in children under five years.
Methods:
150 caregivers participated, of which 30 completed pre- and post-intervention evaluations. During the three-week workshop, participants completed virtual modules that included videos, practical exercises, and weekly video calls. Researchers assessed parental feeding practices using the Parental Feeding Behavior Scale (ECOPAL).
Results:
Results:
The repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant interaction between evaluation time and type of practice (F = 3.943, p = .002, η²p = .120), suggesting that the effects varied depending on the specific subpractice assessed. Autonomy-supportive practices such as nutritional education (p = .002) and praise (p = .041) increased significantly. However, open restriction also increased (p = .010). At the six-month follow-up, autonomy-supportive practices showed sustained improvement.
Conclusions:
The workshop effectively increased respectful feeding practices supporting children's autonomy. Future versions should reinforce non-coercive strategies and incorporate long-term support mechanisms.
Citation
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