Table 1 Factor loadings from first- and second-order strict invariance models, and Cronbach alphas
From: Parental feeding practices in Mexican American families: initial test of an expanded measure
Second-order factor | (α mothers, α fathers) | 1st-order | 2nd-order |
|---|---|---|---|
First-order factor | (α mothers, α fathers) | model | model |
#. Item | Â | Â | Â |
Positive involvement in child eating | (.88, .91) | Â | Â |
Monitor/limit high-calorie foods | (.84, .90) | Â | .75 |
03. How often do you limit the amount of high-fat foods (fried foods, French fries) your child eats? | Â | .58 | .57 |
04. How often do you keep track of the sweets (candy, ice cream, cake, pies, pastries) your child eats? | Â | .63 | .63 |
10. How often do you encourage your child to eat healthy foods before less healthy ones? | Â | .60 | .60 |
14. How often do you keep track of the snack food (potato chips, Doritos, cheese puffs) that your child eats? | Â | .70 | .70 |
18. How often do you limit the amount of sweets (candy, ice cream, cake or pastries) that your child eats? | Â | .67 | .67 |
25. How often do you keep track of the high-fat foods (fried foods, French fries) that your child eats? | Â | .72 | .72 |
34. How often do you limit the amount of junk foods your child can eat? | Â | .74 | .75 |
35. How often do you keep track of the sugary drinks (soda/pop, Kool-Aid) your child drinks? | Â | .72 | .73 |
48. How often do you limit the amount of soda your child drinks? | Â | .55 | .55 |
62. How often do you restrict the amount of fattening food your child can eat? | Â | .58 | .57 |
Encourage/compliment healthy eating | (.76, .82) | Â | .91 |
08. How often do you say something positive about the food that your child is eating? | Â | .51 | .52 |
15. How often do you tell your child how tasty a new food is? | Â | .58 | .58 |
19. How often do you reason with your child to get him/her to eat (for example, Milk is good for your health because it will make you strong)? | Â | .54 | .53 |
32. How often do you tell your child that healthy food tastes good? | Â | .61 | .62 |
39. How often do you compliment your child for eating food (for example, What a good boy! You're eating your vegetables)? | Â | .60 | .59 |
49. How often do you encourage your child to eat by arranging the food to make it more interesting (for example, making smiley faces on the pancakes)? | Â | .43 | .43 |
52. How often do you encourage your child to try to eat healthy foods such as vegetables? | Â | .66 | .67 |
63. How often do you keep track of the servings of fresh fruits and vegetables your child is eating? | Â | .58 | .56 |
Encourage a variety of new foods | (.70, .64) | Â | .72 |
21. How often do you encourage your child to try new foods? | Â | .75 | .72 |
42. How often do you encourage your child to eat a variety of foods? | Â | .67 | .70 |
Ask child what he/she ate †| (.55, .74) |  | .56 |
45. How often do you ask your child what he/she ate during the day? | Â | .64 | .63 |
55. How often do you find out how much your child ate during the day? | Â | .79 | .80 |
Provide small servings | (.39, .50) | Â | .56 |
44. How often do you give your child small servings of food at meals? | Â | .50 | .46 |
60. How often do you add small servings of new foods to your child's plate? | Â | .61 | .66 |
Pressure to eat | (.86, .84) | Â | Â |
Tell child to eat all food on plate | (.84, .81) | Â | .87 |
05. How often do you try to make your child eat all of the food on his/her plate? | Â | .58 | .57 |
43. How often do you tell your child he/she has to finish eating before he/she can go play or do something else? | Â | .53 | .53 |
46. How often do you remind your child to finish eating? | Â | .55 | .55 |
56. How often do you tell your child to eat everything on the plate? | Â | .81 | .82 |
61. How often do you tell your child if he/she doesn't eat, he/she can't watch TV? | Â | .55 | .55 |
64. How often do you tell your child he/she can't leave the table until he/she finishes? | Â | .75 | .74 |
66. How often do you insist that your child eat his/her meal? | Â | .71 | .71 |
Require child to eat even if not hungry | (.72, .69) | Â | .81 |
16. If your child says, I'm not hungry, how often do you try to get him/her to eat anyway? | Â | .55 | .59 |
26. If your child eats only a small amount, how often do you try to get him/her to eat more? | Â | .79 | .76 |
36. When he/she says he/she is finished eating, how often do you try to get your child to eat one more (two more, etc.) bites of food? | Â | .62 | .62 |
Use of food to control behavior | (.78, .75) | Â | Â |
Use food to control emotions | (.78, .72) | Â | .71 |
09. How often do you give your child something to eat or drink if he/she is cranky or grumpy, even if you think he/she isn't hungry? | Â | .50 | .51 |
20. How often do you give your child something to eat or drink if he/she is bored, even if you think he/she isn't hungry? | Â | .63 | .64 |
31. How often do you give your child something to eat or drink if he/she is upset, even if you think he/she isn't hungry? | Â | .64 | .64 |
41. How often do you give your child something to eat or drink if he/she is sad, even if you think he/she isn't hungry? | Â | .64 | .62 |
51. How often do you give your child something to eat or drink to make him/her happy, even if you think he/she isn't hungry? | Â | .66 | .65 |
Use food as reward | (.65, .63) | Â | .83 |
02. How often do you offer your child his/her favorite foods in exchange for good behavior? | Â | .52 | .52 |
12. How often do you offer sweets (candy, ice cream, cake, pastries) to your child as a reward for good behavior? | Â | .56 | .56 |
33. How often do you tell your child that he/she has to finish dinner if he/she wants a sweet? | Â | .60 | .60 |
53. How often do you tell your child if he/she finishes the meal, he/she can have a sweet or a soda? | Â | .62 | .62 |
Restriction of amount of food | (.77, .70) | Â | Â |
Encourage child to eat less | (.78, .72) | Â | .76 |
24. How often do you encourage your child to eat less? | Â | .75 | .75 |
28. How often have you put your child on a diet to control his/her weight? | Â | .49 | .50 |
38. How often do you tell your child he's/she's eaten enough? | Â | .72 | .73 |
54. If your child eats more than usual at one meal, how often do you try to restrict his/her eating at the next meal? | Â | .65 | .65 |
Allow child to control snacking and second servings | (.64, .58) |  | −.57 |
01. How often do you let your child eat whatever he/she wants? | Â | .44 | .46 |
30. How often do you allow your child to eat snacks whenever he/she wants? | Â | .58 | .53 |
37. How often do you let your child have seconds? | Â | .50 | .47 |
50. If your child asks for a snack, how often do you give it to him/her? | Â | .65 | .70 |
59. How often does your child get his/her own snack without asking first? | Â | .32 | .33 |
Limit eating between meals‡ | (.48, .38) |  | .71 |
07. How often do you keep your child from eating between meals? | Â | .42 | .38 |
13. How often do you limit how much your child can eat his/her favorite foods? | Â | .36 | .38 |
57. How often do you limit the number of snacks your child eats? | Â | .60 | .64 |
N/A | (.62, .61) | Â | Â |
Allow child to choose meal menu | Â | Â | Â |
11. At dinner, how often do you let your child choose the foods he/she wants from what is served? | Â | .54 | n/a |
17. How often do you ask your child what he/she wants for dinner? | Â | .49 | n/a |
22. If your child does not like what is being served, how often do you make something else? | Â | .46 | n/a |
65. How often do you try to serve the meals your child likes? | Â | .66 | n/a |
N/A | Â | Â | Â |
Allow child to leave table without finishing meal | (.64, .59) | Â | Â |
06. How often do you tell your child to leave whatever he/she doesn't want to eat? | Â | .56 | n/a |
27. How often do you tell your child he/she doesn't have to eat something he/she doesn't like? | Â | .54 | n/a |
40. How often do you allow your child to leave the table when he/she is full, even if your family is not done eating? | Â | .38 | n/a |
47. How often do you let your child leave food on his/her plate? | Â | .68 | n/a |