Relationships between Childhood Food Experiences and the Use of Food Restrictions in Young Adulthood—A Cross-Sectional Study ^†

Abstract

Parental feeding practices are a source of childhood food experiences (CFE), which can influence behavior in youth and later in adulthood. This study aimed to assess the relationship between CFE related to restrictions, restrained eating, and restricting selected food intake in adulthood. A total of 435 young adults participated in this cross-sectional study carried out in 2020–2021. The questionnaire included questions on feeding practices related to restrictions, restrained eating from the Polish version of the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (scales from 1—never to 5—very often), and restricting the intake of sugar and highly processed, high-fat, and high-sugar products (yes/no). Scores for “Restriction for health” (four statements), “Restriction for weight” (eight statements), and “Restrained eating” (nine statements) were calculated by summing the individual scores and counting the mean value. The degree of fit of the scales was satisfactory (Cronbach’s alpha: 0.709, 0.833, and 0.899, respectively). Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation coefficient (p < 0.01) were used in the statistical analysis. The score for “Restriction for health” was 2.8 (mean value), for “Restriction for weight”, it was 1.9, and for “Restrained eating”, it was 2.5. CFE related to the use of restrictions (for health and weight) were positively interrelated (r = 0.508). A relationship between experiences of “Restriction for weight” and restrained eating in adulthood was found (r = 0.294). About one-fifth of people (22.5%) did not restrict their food intake. Most people limited their sugar intake (57.7%), followed by high-sugar products (44.6%), highly processed foods (38.9%), and high-fat products (37.0%). Adults who restricted food scored higher on “Restriction for weight” (2.0 vs. 1.7) and “Restrained eating” (2.8 vs. 1.8) compared to non-restricting ones. Restrained eating and only CFE of “Restriction for weight” correlated with the restricted consumption of highly processed foods (0.300; 0.118, respectively), sugar (0.380; 0.171), high-sugar foods (0.338; 0.144), and high-fat foods (0.463; 0.161). Experiencing restrictions for weight control in childhood correlates with restrained eating in adulthood. Restrained eating in adulthood is a stronger predictor of restricting sugar and high-fat and sugar-rich foods, as well as highly processed foods, than CFE among young adults.