Research: perspectives in practiceAttitudes, practices, and concerns about child feeding and child weight status among socioeconomically diverse white, Hispanic, and African-American mothers
Section snippets
Methods
We conducted 12 focus groups among mothers of children 2 to less than 5 years old. Nine groups (three white [total n=22], three African American [total n=24], and three Hispanic American [total n=27]) were recruited from low-income families participating in the Georgia Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). The Georgia Division of Public Health staff identified and obtained Health District permission to recruit from three Atlanta metropolitan area WIC
Results
The six topic areas with their key findings are summarized in Figure 2. Additional themes, findings, and comments for each topic are described.
Discussion
Many of the goals and concerns about child feeding identified by our focus groups of mothers were in accordance with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Food Guide Pyramid (20). However, several of their strategies for accomplishing these goals diverged from those currently recommended to promote healthful eating and to prevent overweight and parent child-feeding conflicts. These well-intended, but potentially counterproductive, strategies included accommodating specific requests for
Conclusions
Focus group themes identified that may be useful to dietetics professionals for tailoring interventions to promote healthful child weight include:
- •
Build on mothers’ feeding goals to provide good nutrition to their children by enhancing their knowledge of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and appropriate child portion sizes, and providing culturally appropriate suggestions for balancing convenience, variety, and food costs. Providing education on meal planning, quick-to-prepare healthful
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Marco Pardi, MS, for conducting the focus groups. This research was supported in part by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention contract No. 200-95-0957, Task Order No. 0957-029 to LL Birch through Penn State Geisinger, via American Association of Health Plans.
B. Sherry, J. McDivitt, and K. S. Scanlon are with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, Atlanta,GA, USA.
References (27)
- et al.
Confirmatory factor analysis of child feeding questionnaireA measure of parental attitudes, beliefs, and practices about child feeding and obesity proneness
Appetite
(2001) - et al.
Restricting access to palatable foods affects children’s behavioral response, food selection, and intake
Am J Clin Nutr
(1999) - et al.
Mothers’ child-feeding practices influence daughters’ eating and weight
Am J Clin Nutr
(2000) - et al.
Eating in the absence of hunger and overweight in girls from 5 to 7 y of age
Am J Clin Nutr
(2002) - et al.
Relations between parental mealtime practices and children’s food intake
Appetite
(1994) The feeding relationship
J Am Diet Assoc
(1986)- et al.
A curriculum based on social learning theory emphasizing fruit exposure and positive parent child-feeding strategiesa pilot study
J Am Diet Assoc
(2003) - et al.
Increasing prevalence of overweight among US low-income preschool childrenthe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pediatric nutrition surveillance, 1983 to 1995
Pediatrics
(1998) - et al.
Prevalence of overweight among preschool children in the United States, 1971 through 1994
Pediatrics
(1997) - et al.
Prevalence and trends in overweight among US children and adolescents, 1999–2000
JAMA
(2002)
Predicting obesity in young adulthood from childhood and parental obesity
N Engl J Med
Body mass index during childhood, adolescence and young adulthood in relation to adult overweight and adipositythe Fels Longitudinal Study
Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord
The relation of overweight to cardiovascular risk factors among children and adolescentsthe Bogalusa Heart Study
Pediatrics
Cited by (0)
B. Sherry, J. McDivitt, and K. S. Scanlon are with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, Atlanta,GA, USA.
L. L. Birch and L. A. Francis are with the Pennsylvania State University, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University Park, PA, USA.
F. H. Cook and S. Sanders are with The Georgia Division of Public Health, Nutrition Section, Atlanta, GA, USA.
J. L. Prish is with the University of Southern Illinois, Carbondale, IL, USA.