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Maternal Perceptions Related to Eating and Obesity Risk Among Low-Income African American Preschoolers

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Abstract

Objectives Health disparities are prevalent in the U.S., with low-income African American children suffering from high rates of obesity and related conditions. Better understanding of parental attitudes and barriers related to healthy eating and obesity risk is needed to suggest more effective intervention foci for this at-risk population. Methods African American caregivers of 3–5 year old children were recruited for focus groups and a questionnaire completion from two Head Start programs in a southeastern state of the U.S. The Social Cognitive Theory was utilized to develop a focus group guide. Focus group recordings were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using the comparative content analysis. Results Eight focus groups (all participants were mothers) yielded the following main themes: (1) general nutrition knowledge but common misconceptions about foods/beverages; (2) beliefs that meals have to include meat and starch and be home-cooked to be healthy; (3) desire to feed children better than their own parents; (4) lack of family support and child pickiness perceived as the greatest barriers to healthy eating; (5) awareness of family history of diseases; and (6) low concern about children’s current diet and weight status. Over 25 % of mothers underestimated their child weight status. Conclusions Our findings highlight the importance of understanding maternal perspectives related to food, eating, and weight among low-income African American mothers of preschoolers. Nutrition educators should be aware of misconceptions and recognize that mothers might not perceive diet quality in early childhood as having strong impact on the child’s future health and/or obesity risks.

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Acknowledgments

This study was not supported by any sources of external funding. The authors would like to thank the Head Start program administrators and staff who assisted with the study and the mothers of young children who participated in the focus groups.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina Greensboro, 319 College Ave, 318 Stone Building, Greensboro, NC, 27412, USA

    Lauren Porter & Lenka H. Shriver

  2. University of Idaho, PO Box 443183, Moscow, ID, 83844-3183, USA

    Samantha Ramsay

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  1. Lauren Porter
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  2. Lenka H. Shriver
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  3. Samantha Ramsay
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Correspondence to Lenka H. Shriver.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest associated with this study.

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Porter, L., Shriver, L.H. & Ramsay, S. Maternal Perceptions Related to Eating and Obesity Risk Among Low-Income African American Preschoolers. Matern Child Health J 20, 2565–2572 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-016-2082-1

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