Attitudes, Concerns, and Likelihood for Action Related to Young Children's Overweight Among Early Childhood Program Staff

• Published in: Family & community health Vol. 34; no. 4; pp. 291 - 300
• Main Authors: Chika, Satoko, Shultz, Jill Armstrong, Johnson, Susan L., Branen, Laurel J., Fletcher, Janice W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc 01-10-2011; Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Ovid Technologies
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Attitude to Health; Child care; Child Care - methods; Child Care - psychology; Child, Preschool; Diet - psychology; Early intervention; Factor Analysis, Statistical; Faculty; Female; Health behavior; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Overweight - psychology; Parents; Professional-Family Relations; Surveys and Questionnaires; Weight control; Wellness programs; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0160-6379; 1550-5057
• DOI: 10.1097/FCH.0b013e31822b53a4

For obesity prevention planning in early childhood programs, attitudes and actions of staff related to communicating with parents about young children's eating and weight need to be assessed. Early childhood program teachers (n = 271) working with children aged 3 to 5 years were surveyed by mail. Factor analysis provided patterns of response for multi-item questions. Respondents reported different levels of agreement and comfort regarding communicating concerns to parents about their child's weight and eating versus observations about the child's daily eating. Feelings about parent communication varied (worried, hesitant, responsible, and willing). Findings suggest opportunities for communication between program staff and parents.