Food Eating of Mothers and Their Daughters in Relation to Mothers' Body Mass Index

Lidia Wadolowska, Malgorzata Anna Slowinska, Kamila Pabjan-Adach and Ewa Niedzwiedzka

Similarities in food eating by mothers and daughters were studied in relation to mothers' body mass index. The study included 97 pairs of mothers and daughters aged 43.3±6.0 years and 16.0±3.1 years, respectively. Food eating was determined by the food intake frequency method, using the calibrated FFQ questionnaire. Mothers-daughters family pairs were divided into 3 groups according to terciles of the mothers' BMI. Significant correlation between the amount of food eaten by mothers and daughters was found in both extreme terciles for 75% of products. The obtained results indicate on a significant similarity in food eating by mothers and their daughters, which in a limited degree depended on mothers' body mass. The BMI of overweight mothers was a good predictor of daughters' body mass index, which suggests that family environment promotes obesity among their children.