Examining child mealtime behavior as parents are coached to implement the Mealtime PREP intervention in the home: Findings from a pilot study.
Angela R Caldwell, Elizabeth R Skidmore, Roxanna M Bendixen and 1 others
PMID 37304357WHAT IT FOUND
Parents coached in home mealtime strategies used more techniques over time.
Child problematic behaviors and parent-reported mealtime issues significantly decreased. This pilot suggests coaching parents in structured mealtime routines may improve behavior, but lacks a control group to prove causation.
Key findings
01Parental use of evidence-based mealtime strategies increased significantly over the course of the intervention.
02Problematic child mealtime behaviors and parent-identified mealtime problems decreased significantly over time.
03The study lacked a comparison group, preventing determination of causal pathways for the observed changes.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study had a small sample size (n=20) and lacked a comparison group, making it impossible to determine if the changes were caused by the intervention or other factors. The sample was highly homogeneous: all parent participants were mothers, 95% had at least a bachelor's degree, and 60% reported household incomes over $100,000 per year. This limits generalizability to families with lower socioeconomic status or different educational backgrounds. The study was conducted in the United States, and the recruitment methods (social media, flyers in local preschools) may have biased the sample toward families already seeking help or with specific resources.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume the Mealtime PREP intervention caused the improvements in child behavior. The study had no control group, so natural maturation, the Hawthorne effect from being observed, or other concurrent changes in the home environment could explain the results.