Parenting Influences on Child Obesity-Related Behaviors: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective

The relationships between parenting behaviors and child obesity-related behaviors have been extensively investigated through the use of different constructs such as parenting styles, domain-specific styles and specific parenting practices, but there is currently a need for a more comprehensive and integrative theoretical framework. This chapter argues about the usefulness of self-determination theory, and in particular of the specific dimensional parenting model related to the theory, as a framework to conceptually organize parenting practices relevant to children’s obesity-related behaviors. The three parenting dimensions of autonomy support, provision of structure and parental positive involvement, identified by self-determination theory as particularly relevant to the process of child’s internalization of socially desired behaviors and values, will be applied as a framework to conceptually organize the parenting practices in the feeding and physical activity domains.