Premium
Selection of beverages for young children: The decision process of low resource urban parents
Author(s) -
Drake Rachel Elizabeth,
Pierce Michelle B,
Goodell L. Suzanne,
Ferris Ann M
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.21.5.a674-a
Subject(s) - psychology , nutrition education , interview , food choice , medicine , environmental health , gerontology , pathology , political science , law
Excessive sweetened beverage consumption may contribute to the growing occurrence of childhood overweight. This study investigated the decision process of low‐resource, urban parents regarding beverage choices for their young children. Parents/primary caregivers (n=19) of a child age 1–8 years were recruited at health fairs and community agencies in Hartford, CT. Each participant completed a semi‐structured, audio‐taped individual interview and beverage card sort. The interviewer probed for views on 100% juice, juice drinks, soda, milk, and drink flavorings. All interviews were transcribed and coded on a schema following the Information‐Motivation‐Behavior change model. Major sources of knowledge included family, WIC, pediatricians, and intuition. Motivators included child's health, such as diabetes and dental health, and child's beverage preferences. The majority of parents were deficient in behavioral skills, such as using nutrition facts. These parents were less likely to distinguish juice drinks from 100% juices, and their children consumed more sweetened beverages. Based on these findings, community education programs will be designed to motivate parents to improve their label reading skills and knowledge about appropriate beverages by emphasizing the impact on child health. (Funding: USDA/CT‐DSS UCONN Food Stamp Nutrition Education #05DSS4712AY)