Maternal influences on daughters' restrained eating behavior. Journal   Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association. Citation   Health Psychol. 24(6):548-54 Publication date   2005 Nov Authors   Francis LA Birch LL Investigators   Leann Birch Grant agencies   National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Grants   NICHD HD32973 NICHD HD32973-03S1 MeSH headings   Feeding Behavior Maternal Behavior Mother-Child Relations Mothers Obesity Social Environment Weight Loss MeSH qualifiers   psychology prevention & control Abstract   This study examined whether mothers' preoccupation with their own weight and eating was linked to daughters' restrained eating behavior. Participants included 173 non-Hispanic, White mother-daughter dyads, measured longitudinally when daughters were ages 5, 7, 9, and 11. Mothers who were preoccupied with their own weight and eating reported higher levels of restricting daughters' intake and encouraging daughters to lose weight over time. Mothers' encouragement of daughters' weight loss was linked to daughters' restrained eating behavior; this relationship was partially mediated by daughters' perception of maternal pressure to lose weight. These findings suggest that mothers' preoccupation with weight and eating, via attempts to influence daughters' weight and eating, may place daughters at risk for developing problematic eating behaviors.