Using Focus Group Results to Inform Preschool Childhood Obesity Prevention Programming

Abstract

Objective. This study about maternal feeding practices and beliefs was conducted as background for the development of a childhood obesity prevention program for multi-ethnic parents in the USA receiving services from a federal government supplemental nutrition program for low-income mothers.

Design. Using a grounded theory approach, focus groups were conducted with low-income African American, white non-Hispanic (i.e. the majority Caucasian American population), Hispanic and Vietnamese parents to collect cross-cultural perspectives on: (a) infant and child feeding practices, (b) childhood overweight, (c) healthy dietary intake, (d) physical activity and inactivity, and (e) infant feeding information sources.

Results. A content analysis of the data yielded three main themes common to all four groups: (a) lack of awareness of the relationship between increased physical activity and health, (b) the use of food to influence behavior, and (c) the loss of parental control over feeding when a child starts child care or school, and revealed perspectives on age-appropriate food, infant satiety, overweight and information sources that were specific to each group.

Conclusion. Interventions that enhance parent self-efficacy that build on themes that are specific to ethnic groups toward preventing childhood obesity are needed. There is also a need for culturally appropriate information for governmental nutrition programs that is in the client's own language and takes into account ethnic differences in beliefs and traditions.

Keywords:

• Childhood Obesity
• Minority Mothers
• Prevention

This project was funded in part with Federal funds from the US Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, under a 1999 Grant to the Virginia Department of Health, Richmond, Virginia. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the view or policies of the US Department of Agriculture, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products or organizations imply endorsement by the US Government. Special thanks to Relana Pinkerton, PhD (developmental psychologist), Anne Wolf, RD, MS (consulting dietitian), Alicia White, RD, MS (former WIC nutritionist with the Virginia Department of Health) and Shizuko Morimoto (graduate student, Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, Stanford University Psy.D. Consortium).

Notes

1. In consideration of an international audience, the term ‘obesity’ will be used to describe children aged 2–4 with a body mass index (BMI) greater than the 95th percentile for their sex. In the USA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the federal government have different terminology for very young children, which is ‘at risk of overweight’ = BMI-for-age 85th percentile to <95th percentile while ‘overweight’ is BMI-for-age ≥95th percentile. This change was made to reduce barriers to participation in childhood obesity prevention programs by parents who do not consider their child to be obese, a stigmatizing condition in the eyes of many individuals (http:www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/bmi-for-age.htm).