Table 1.

Frequency of new and existing food practices assessed using the modified Environment and Policy Assessment and Observation (EPAO) instrument in 133 family childcare homes (FCCH) in Rhode Island and North Carolina, USA

Item	% of FCCH where practice occurred
Positive feeding practices
The provider encouraged children to try the foods on their plates	96·2
The provider talked with the children about the foods they were eating	96·0
During meals and snacks, did the provider use child size appropriate plates?*	94·6
Home does not have television that can be seen or heard from the eating area, or television in home but not on during meal	93·1
Did the provider make fruits and vegetables easier to eat?*	92·4
Lead/encourage pleasant non-food conversations during meals*,†	90·8
The provider sat with the children	81·1
Did the provider encourage the children to sit around the table during meals?*	77·1
Did the provider take a moment with the children to settle before eating?*	73·3
Talk on the phone, text or work on the computer during meals*,†	68·7
Provider ate the same foods as the children	66·7
When a child ate less than half of a meal or snack, the provider asked the child if (s)he was full before removing the plate	62·9
The provider praised a child for trying new or less preferred foods	56·6
Were children involved in meal preparation, planning or clean-up?*	56·5
Provider ate fruits or vegetables in front of children	49·1
Reason with a child to eat*,†	49·0
Were a variety of healthy foods visible to children?*	47·3
Negotiate with a child to eat healthy foods*,†	40·5
The provider enthusiastically role modelled eating healthy foods	35·9
The provider used an authoritative feeding style	30·8
Talk about feelings of hunger or fullness with children*,†	29·0
Second helpings served only after a child requested seconds and the provider asked the child if (s)he was still hungry	22·0
Let a child choose between two healthy food options*,†	17·6
Children served themselves most/all food and decided what portions to take	0·0
Negative feeding practices
Enforce table manners*,†	88·6
Insist that a child eat a certain food*,†	73·3
Spoon-feed a child to get them to eat*,†	64·1
Second helpings were served to a child, even when the child did not ask for more	60·4
Rush a child or children to eat*,†	56·5
When a child ate less than half of a meal or snack, the provider removed the plate without asking the child if s(he) was full	54·1
Ignore or show indifference to children during the meal*,†	49·6
Prompt a child to finish food already on the plate in order to receive seconds*,†	46·6
Praise a child for cleaning his/her plate*,†	44·3
Allow a child to have or take multiple servings of a food, when more than one food or a large amount of one food remains on the plate*,†	38·9
The provider pressured a child to eat more than they seemed to want	38·4
Were unhealthy snack foods visible to children?*	38·2
The provider used food as a reward or a bribe for eating a less preferred food	31·5
Use food as reward for eating a specific food*,†	26·7
The provider promised something other than food for eating a specific food	24·5
Praise/compliment child for eating unhealthy foods*,†	17·6
Make special allowances to provide something different from what was already being served for a child who refused to eat*,†	16·7
The provider drank a soda or other sweetened beverage in front of children	11·3
When a child ate less than half of a meal or snack, the provider required the child sit at the table until (s)he cleaned their plate	10·7
How often did the provider use food to control a child’s emotions?*	10·7
The provider used food as a reward or withheld food as a punishment	6·3
The provider ate a salty snack in front of children	5·7
The provider ate fast food in front of children	3·1
The provider ate a sweet snack in front of children	1·9

^*Denotes new item (from additional twenty-five) on the EPAO Supplemental Assessment of Feding Practices.

^†Lead in to these questions is ‘How often did the provider…?’