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Qualitative Investigation of Factors Contributing to Effective Nutrition Education for Navajo Families

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Abstract

Objectives Obesity rates in American Indian and Alaskan Native children are a major health threat, yet effective ways to address this remain elusive. Building on an earlier dietary assessment of Navajo Head Start families which indicated a gap in parental nutrition awareness despite a strong program emphasis, the aim of this project was to identify culturally relevant nutrition education strategies for Navajo parents and educators of young children. Methods Eight focus group interviews were conducted with 41 parents and early childhood education paraprofessionals to identify contributors to both healthful and unhealthy food ways of Navajo preschoolers. Results were presented in two community venues to verify the themes and discuss implications. Results Barriers to healthful eating included availability/cost, parenting/control, preferences/habits, time pressures, and knowledge/education. Enablers to healthful eating included the categories of schools/education, and support/modeling. Reactions to these findings during community forums suggested (1) the need for stronger parenting and parental control over the food environment; (2) community-level action to address these barriers; and (3) the need for knowledge and culturally relevant educational strategies for caregivers and children. Conclusions Implications for interventions include building upon existing community resources to enhance culturally relevant and respectful parental, family, and community support for affordable and acceptable food experiences and choices for young children and their families.

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Acknowledgments

This project was supported by the Tribal Colleges Research Grants Program of the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (2002-38424-12434). Authors thank the focus group participants and advisory committee for their important contributions. We also thank the institutional review boards from Diné College, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, and the Navajo Nation for their guidance and oversight. Finally, we gratefully acknowledge Kari Bachman from New Mexico State University and Christine Hollis from the University of New Mexico for their contributions to this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Colorado State University, 234 Gifford Building, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA

    Leslie Cunningham-Sabo

  2. Diné College Division of Mathematics, Science and Technology, Diné College, Shiprock Campus, Shiprock, NM, USA

    Mark Bauer, Shirleen Phillips-Benally, Julia Roanhorse & Linda Garcia

  3. Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Department of Pediatrics, Health Sciences Center, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131-0001, USA

    Shirley Pareo

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  1. Leslie Cunningham-Sabo
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  2. Mark Bauer
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  4. Shirleen Phillips-Benally
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  5. Julia Roanhorse
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  6. Linda Garcia
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Correspondence to Leslie Cunningham-Sabo.

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Cunningham-Sabo, L., Bauer, M., Pareo, S. et al. Qualitative Investigation of Factors Contributing to Effective Nutrition Education for Navajo Families. Matern Child Health J 12 (Suppl 1), 68–75 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-008-0333-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-008-0333-5

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