COVID-19 has disrupted normal life and routines of families, but outside of anecdotal evidence it is unknown how the pandemic has affected maternal feeding practices and obesity risk. Concerns related to the pandemic, such as anxiety in the face of uncertainty, may greatly impact mothers daily mood and stress level, which could compromise health-promoting parenting practices. This study will investigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on stress, emotion, and maternal feeding practices in the natural environment. New knowledge of the effects of a national emergency on families has important implications for children’s weight gain prevention.

Fifty mothers (with a child between 5-11 y/o) from the Los Angeles area will be recruited online to fill out questionnaires and download an app on their personal smartphone. For 4 days, mothers will fill out mobile ecological momentary assessment (EMA) surveys reflecting on their behaviors over the past 2 hours. Baseline recruitment and data collection will be conducted May-June 2020.