Child control of food choices in Head Start families.
J Nutr Educ Behav
; 37(4): 185-90, 2005.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-16029688
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
To describe parents' perceived feeding practices of their Head Start children as related to 6 feeding constructs based on the literature about the division of mealtime responsibilities.DESIGN:
A qualitative study involving 45-minute audiotaped and transcribed discussion groups with items that probed constructs of interest.SETTING:
Five discussion groups were conducted in local, urban Head Start sites in a north central state.PARTICIPANTS:
Head Start staff recruited 29 limited-income parents. PHENOMENA OF INTEREST Parental comments were coded into categories related to the 6 feeding constructs and perceived barriers to their implementation.ANALYSIS:
Researchers independently coded the discussion group transcripts based on common themes and feeding constructs. Codes were discussed until consensus was reached and data analyzed using Ethnograph 5.0.RESULTS:
Parents frequently reported that their children decided which foods were offered for meals and snacks. Most parents reported such child control of foods to be a barrier to pleasant meal times. IMPLICATIONS Nutrition educators can suggest solutions to improve parental self-efficacy for practicing mealtime responsibilities, such as offering a choice of several healthy foods from which a child might choose. The importance of planned meal and snack times might be promoted based on aiding children's appetites at meals and reducing mealtime conflicts.
Search on Google
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Parent-Child Relations
/
Choice Behavior
/
Early Intervention, Educational
/
Food Preferences
Type of study:
Qualitative_research
Limits:
Child, preschool
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
En
Journal:
J Nutr Educ Behav
Journal subject:
CIENCIAS DA NUTRICAO
/
CIENCIAS DO COMPORTAMENTO
/
EDUCACAO
Year:
2005
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States