A qualitative investigation of body weight and weight loss-related attitudes of mothers and fathers in the context of food insecurity

Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity volume 25, pages1663–1669(2020)Cite this article

Abstract

Purpose

To examine attitudes about body weight and weight loss among low-income parents of young children experiencing household food insecurity.

Methods

One-on-one interviews were conducted with 25 dyads of cohabitating low-income mothers and fathers who lived with their child aged 2.5–10 years old. Basic inductive analysis was conducted using NVivo to identify emerging themes related to body weight.

Results

Three main themes emerged including (1) weight loss as a “Blessing in Disguise,” (2) trouble with losing weight, and (3) the impact of compromised diet quality. Some differences existed in themes between mothers and fathers, but both placed value on weight loss resulting from food insecurity.

Conclusion

This research underscores the importance of sufficient nutrition assistance for limited resource families. A lack of money for food was a barrier towards maintaining a healthy weight but the value our culture places on weight loss even in times of despair was undeniably present.

Level of evidence

Level V, cross-sectional descriptive study.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank FoodShare, Inc. for allowing us to recruit participants from the mobile pantry sites in Connecticut.

Funding

Funding was provided by the University of Connecticut Scholarship Facilitation Fund and the Summer Undergraduate Research Fund.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Emily A. Taylor

    Present address: Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, MA, USA

  2. Jaime S. Foster

    Present address: Connecticut Food Bank, Wallingford, CT, USA

  3. Amy R. Mobley

    Present address: Department of Health Education and Behavior, University of Florida, P.O. Box 118210, Gainesville, FL, 32611-8210, USA

Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Connecticut, 3624 Horsebarn Hill Road Extension, Unit 4017, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA

    Emily A. Taylor, Jaime S. Foster & Amy R. Mobley

Authors
  1. Emily A. Taylor
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  2. Jaime S. Foster
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  3. Amy R. Mobley
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Amy R. Mobley.

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Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose.

Ethical standard

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee University of Connecticut Institutional-Storrs Review Board with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study

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Taylor, E.A., Foster, J.S. & Mobley, A.R. A qualitative investigation of body weight and weight loss-related attitudes of mothers and fathers in the context of food insecurity. Eat Weight Disord 25, 1663–1669 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-019-00804-7

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Keywords

  • Food insecurity
  • Parents
  • Food supply
  • Poverty
  • Social stigma
  • Weight perception