Understanding feeding practices of Latinx mothers of infants and toddlers at risk for childhood obesity: A qualitative study

• Published in: Maternal and child nutrition Vol. 16; no. 3; pp. e12983 - n/a
• Main Authors: McFarren, Hannah, Vazquez, Christian, Jacobs, Elizabeth A., Dela Tejera, Giovanna, Gray, Megan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-07-2020; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subjects: Adolescent mothers; Adult; Age; Body weight; Caregivers; child feeding; Childhood; Childhood obesity; Children; Children & youth; Diet; Diet - methods; Eating behavior; Feeding; Feeding Behavior - psychology; Female; Food; Habits; Health aspects; Health care; Health care industry; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health services; Healthy habits; Hispanic Americans - psychology; Hispanic Americans - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Infancy; Infant; infant and child nutrition; infant feeding; Infants; Interviews; Interviews as Topic; Latinx health; Male; Maternal and infant welfare; minority health; Mothers; Mothers - psychology; Mothers - statistics & numerical data; Natural foods; Nutrition; Obesity; Obesity in children; Original; parentingqualitative methods; Parents & parenting; Pediatric Obesity - psychology; Pediatricians; Prevention; Prevention programs; Qualitative Research; Recruitment; Risk factors; Toddlers; Vegetables; Young mothers; United States > US; Texas; child feeding; infant feeding; infant and child nutrition; parentingqualitative methods; childhood obesity; minority health; Latinx health
• ISSN: 1740-8695; 1740-8709
• DOI: 10.1111/mcn.12983

Infancy and toddlerhood are critical stages for the development of habits that can lead to future obesity, and caregivers have an important influence on these habits. We conducted this qualitative semistructured interview study to explore the feeding practices of Latinx mothers of young children who are at risk for childhood obesity in order to identify targets for obesity prevention. We interviewed Latinx mothers (N = 14) of a child ages 6–18 months with a weight‐for‐length ratio > 85th percentile at the time of recruitment. Two researchers independently read through the interviews, identified sections of the interviews pertaining to feeding, and used constant comparative methods to identify the following common themes: mothers overwhelmingly reported permissive feeding styles, driving overfeeding and frequent night‐time feeding. Mothers expressed some difficulty with transitioning to solid foods and reported desiring to feed their child healthy foods by minimizing juice and giving vegetables. Paediatricians and WIC staff were viewed by mothers as trustworthy sources of nutrition information. Most identified a connection between their child's weight and diet, but many lacked the insight or capacity to change their current practices. The mothers in our study provide insight into factors that may predispose young children to obesity and thus potential avenues to support these families. Healthcare providers can better serve them by giving clear, actionable advice on healthy feeding practices for their child, while understanding constraints that may make healthy habits difficult to implement. Paediatricians should be honest about their child's weight status early on to allow time for intervention.