Mothers’ perspectives on the development of their preschoolers’ dietary and physical activity behaviors and parent-child relationship: implications for pediatric primary care physicians

In this 2017 study, 19 female caregivers (with diverse variables such as education, race/ethnicity, age) were questioned on their child’s dietary and physical activity behaviors and on their relationship with the child (aged 2-5 years old). Five 90-minute semistructured focus groups were conducted to retrieve data on children’s growth, eating behaviors and routines, physical activity, personality, and the parent-child relationship. Family, social factors, and day care routines were found to be the main influencers of the children’s behaviors, while the barriers to physical activity were safety and time constraints. The participants maintained a schedule but also mentioned they needed to be flexible to take care of every-day responsibilities. Pratt et al. (2017) calls for guidance coming from pediatric primary care providers to support female caregivers on building a strong and positive relationship with their child, implementing a model diet and adopting healthy physical activity behaviors, while also considering time schedules and the identified barriers. [NPID: parents, children, family, family relationships, parenting, female caregivers, moms, eating routines, personality]

Year: 2017

Reference: Pratt KJ, Van Fossen C, Cotto-Maisonet J, Palmer EN, Eneli I. Mothers’ Perspectives on the Development of Their Preschoolers’ Dietary and Physical Activity Behaviors and Parent-Child Relationship: Implications for Pediatric Primary Care Physicians. Clinical Pediatrics. 2017;56(8):766-775. doi:10.1177/0009922816684598