A Narrative Review of Dietary Assessment Tools for Preschool-Aged Children in the Home Environment.

Preschool-aged children in the U.S. have suboptimal diets. Interventions to improve child nutrition focus on parents and their role in shaping social and physical home environments, which influence children's eating behaviors. Dietary assessment tools selected to measure intervention objectives, and how results are interpreted in key findings, are essential when examining children's diets. The objectives of this review were to (1) describe dietary assessment tools used in intervention studies in young children focused within the home environment; and (2) examine how the application of these dietary assessment tools addressed intervention objectives. PubMed and Web of Science were searched for English-language nutrition intervention studies that included children aged 2-5 years, had a home environment component, used a dietary assessment tool, and reported on diet-related outcomes. Seventeen studies were included. Intervention objectives focused on overall diet, specific food groups, eating occasions, and obesity prevention/treatment. Concordance of key findings with intervention objectives, type of tool used, and multiple tools within the same study varied with 8 studies aligning in objective and tool, 1 discordant in both, and 8 partially concordant or too broad to determine. This review highlights current challenges in measuring dietary intake in preschoolers and provides recommendations for alternative applications and strategies.

"There's a Lot of Like, Contradicting Stuff"-Views on Healthy Living during Pregnancy and Postpartum.

The transition from pregnancy through early postpartum can be a particularly vulnerable time for women as they adjust to the changes of motherhood. This study aimed to provide a detailed account of additional health challenges that mothers are facing throughout motherhood during the pandemic. Data obtained can be utilized to create tailored interventions to aid women during their reproductive years. A sequential approach was utilized, collecting health-related information via survey and subsequent focus groups or interviews to further examine health experiences during pregnancy or postpartum. Fifty-seven participants completed the online survey, 73.5% were postpartum. The healthy eating index of the cohort was low, 50.5 ± 10.3%. Prior to pregnancy, 54.5% were classified as overweight/obese. Following pregnancy, 71.1% were classified as overweight or obese. Emergent qualitative themes from focus groups (n = 3) and interviews (n = 6) included (1) value and desire for healthy eating, (2) desire to make well-informed health-based decisions, and (3) role of social networks during pregnancy and postpartum. Pregnant/postpartum women desire to lead a healthy lifestyle but experience barriers to accomplishing intended goals. Upstream resources and policies that promote healthy living for pregnant/postpartum women can reduce chronic disease throughout the lifespan following childbirth.

Strengthening Nutrition Education and Behavior Research for Academicians and Practitioners.

Nutrition education and behavior research is essential for translating scientific nutrition-related evidence into actionable strategies at the individual, family, community, and policy levels. To enhance the impact of nutrition educators and researchers' efforts, there is a need for continued and directed support to sustain the rigor of research. It is the perspective of this paper that the field of nutrition education and behavior research address its inherent complexities to meet the diverse investigative strategies used by academicians as well as practitioners. Such strategies could ensure the role of nutrition education and behavior in ongoing nationwide efforts to address emerging and novel nutrition research.

Ethnic Differences in Family Childcare Providers' Nutrition- and Activity-Related Attitudes and Barriers.

Objective: The aim of the study is to examine family childcare providers' (FCCPs) attitudes and perceived barriers related to nutrition, physical activity (PA), and screen time (ST) behaviors of preschool children, exploring differences by provider ethnicity. Design: Baseline survey data from a cluster-randomized trial. Participants. Around 168 FCCPs completed a telephone survey, and 126 completed both telephone and in-person surveys. Main Outcome Measures. Phone and in-person surveys include 44 questions to assess FCCPs attitudes and perceived barriers regarding nutrition, PA, and ST in the family childcare home. Analysis. Associations by ethnicity (Latinx vs. non-Latinx) were assessed by ANOVA, adjusting for provider education and Bonferroni correction. Results: Some FCCP attitudes were consistent with national obesity prevention guidelines; for example, most FCCPs agreed that they have an important role in shaping children's eating and PA habits. However, many FCCPs agreed with allowing children to watch educational TV and did not agree that children should serve themselves at meals. Adjusting for education, there were statistically significant differences in attitude and perceived barrier scores by provider ethnicity. For example, Latinx FCCPs were more likely to agree that they should eat the same foods as children(p < .001) but less likely to agree that serving the food at meal and snack time is the adult's responsibility (p < .001). Latinx FCCPs were more like to perceive barriers related to children's safety playing outside (p < .001). Conclusions and Implications. While FCCPs hold some nutrition-, PA-, and ST-related attitudes consistent with national guidelines, training opportunities are needed for FCCPs to improve knowledge and skills and overcome perceived barriers related to nutrition and PA. Latinx FCCPs, in particular, may need culturally tailored training and support to overcome misperceptions and barriers.

College Students' Views on Functional, Interactive and Critical Nutrition Literacy: A Qualitative Study.

This research aimed to uncover how the nutrition literacy domains (functional, interactive, critical) influence the dietary decisions of young adults in college. For this qualitative study, undergraduate college students aged 18-24 years old (n = 24) were recruited to participate in focus groups. The focus group transcripts were independently coded for primary and secondary themes using a grounded theory approach and a basic thematic analysis. Four focus groups with 5-7 participants per group were conducted. The three domains of nutrition literacy emerged in the focus groups with two themes per domain. Themes within functional nutrition literacy included 'food enhances or inhibits good health' and 'components of a healthy diet'; themes within interactive nutrition literacy included 'navigating the college food environment' and 'awareness of food marketing on dietary behavior'; themes within critical nutrition literacy included 'critical appraisal of nutrition information' and 'awareness of societal barriers to good health'. Understanding how the different nutrition literacy domains relate to college students' food choices can inform future researchers on how to appropriately assess nutrition literacy and design programs aimed at improving dietary behaviors of college students.

Food Photography as a Tool to Assess Type, Quantity, and Quality of Foods in Parent-Packed Lunches for Preschoolers.

OBJECTIVE: Explore using food photography to assess packed lunches in a university-based Early Childhood Center and contextualize these photographs through parent interviews. METHODS: An explanatory sequential design was used. Packed lunches were photographed to assess the type and quantity of foods offered and consumed by Child and Adult Food Care Program components (fruit, vegetable, grain, and protein) and quality of foods offered using the Healthy Meal Index. Parent interviews aimed to understand motivations and behaviors related to packing lunch. RESULTS: Data were collected on 401 lunches. Only 16.2% of lunches met all Child and Adult Food Care Program requirements. Most lunches included fruit (84%) and grains (82%), whereas fewer included vegetables (44%). Portion sizes were large, especially for grains (2.7 ± 1.5 servings). In interviews (n = 24), parents expressed tension between offering healthful items and foods they knew their child would eat, as well as concern about children going hungry. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Food photography is a feasible methodology to capture parent-packed lunches for preschoolers and may have utility in nutrition education, particularly related to age-appropriate portion sizes.

Dietary Contributors to Food Group Intake in Preschool Children Attending Family Childcare Homes: Differences between Latino and Non-Latino Providers.

While there are several factors that contribute to the diet quality of children in childcare, one contributing factor in Family Childcare Homes (FCCHs) is the provider's ethnicity. However, research examining the food items provided in this setting is limited; in particular, with regards to differences between FCCHs of Latino and non-Latino providers. The aim of this study was to identify and describe the food items that contribute to food group intake in preschool-aged children attending FCCHs, and to examine differences by provider ethnicity. This secondary data analysis used baseline data from Healthy Start/Comienzos Sanos: a cluster-randomized trial. Children's dietary intake was collected using the Dietary Observation in Child Care method and entered into Nutrition Data System for Research software. Food groups were based on the Nutrition Coordinating Center classification. Contribution of food items to their respective food group was calculated as a proportion, using ratio of means and presented as a percentage. Ethnic differences were tested with ANCOVA (p < 0.05) with Bonferroni adjustments for multiple comparisons. All providers (n = 120) were female and 67.5% were Latino. Most fruit consumed by children was in the form of juice (85%), three-fourths of the grains consumed were refined (75%), and half of the sweets consumed were syrup/honey/jelly (50%). Most of the vegetables consumed were non-starchy (61%), nearly three-fourths of dairy consumed was low-fat (71%), and vegetable oils contributed the most to the fats group (89%). Food items differed by provider's ethnicity, with children cared for by non-Latino providers consuming a higher proportion of fruit juice, animal fats and a lower proportion of legumes (p < 0.001 for all). Children with Latino providers consumed a lower proportion of non-starchy vegetables, low-fat dairy, and nuts/seeds (p < 0.001 for all). FCCH providers could offer more whole fruits and grains and a greater variety of vegetables. Differences by ethnicity suggest providers could benefit from culturally tailored recommendations.

Farm to Early Care and Education Programming: A Descriptive Study of Challenges and Opportunities to Promote Healthful Foods to Young Children.

Interest in farm to early care and education (ECE) programming, which consists of gardening, nutrition education, and local food procurement, has been growing in the United States, as it may be a promising technique for promoting healthful foods to young children. However, there is limited information about current farm to ECE efforts in specific states, including Colorado, to support funding and resource needs. An online survey was distributed to licensed Colorado ECE providers in two phases to understand current participation in the farm to ECE as well as provider perspectives on benefits and barriers to programming. A total of 250 surveys were completed. Approximately 60% of ECE facilities participated in gardening and nutrition education with providers almost unanimously agreeing on the child-centric benefits of programming. Fewer facilities (37%) participated in local food procurement likely due to significant time, cost, and knowledge barriers. To increase participation in farm to ECE as a technique for promoting healthful foods to young children, future efforts should focus on innovative solutions to reduce ECE-specific barriers.

Exploring Parenting Contexts of Latinx 2-to-5-Year Old Children's Sleep: Qualitative Evidence Informing Intervention Development.

PURPOSE: Poor sleep quality is associated with childhood obesity, and Latinx children have the highest prevalence of obesity in the United States. Parents are key agents to ensuring good sleep quality among children, but limited research has examined sleep parenting among Latinx working parents who may have added responsibilities. DESIGN AND METHODS: Working Latinx parents of 2-to-5-year old children participated in in-depth interviews exploring parenting and familial contexts of child sleep. Main topics in the interview guide included sleep-related parenting practices, social support, cultural influences, and intervention service delivery and content preferences. Thematic analysis was used to analyze data. RESULTS: Twenty parents completed the interview. The following themes emerged: Sleep parenting, sleep knowledge, impact of familial structures, family commitments, child temperament, and broader contextual factors on sleep, and intervention content and design ideas. Across participants, employment was reported to be a barrier to effective sleep parenting. Parents also reported engaging in practices that may interfere with sleep quality such as using screen time as a distraction and reducing naptime during the weekends to increase the amount of family time. Family-level factors such as co-parenting and spousal support were reported to facilitate sleep parenting. Participants also indicated the need for more sleep parenting knowledge and a preference for mobile platforms and social media to deliver information. CONCLUSIONS: Results not only fill critical gaps in the literature, but also highlight the variability in parents' approaches to sleep parenting and an urgent need for intervention/programming efforts to target Latinx parent's sleep knowledge and parenting.

Communication With Family Child Care Providers and Feeding Preschool-Aged Children: Parental Perspectives.

OBJECTIVE: To describe parent communication about child nutrition-related topics with family child care providers (FCCPs). DESIGN: Five focus groups conducted from December, 2016 to July, 2017. PARTICIPANTS: Parents (n = 25) of 2- to 5-year-old children attending family child care homes in Rhode Island. PHENOMENON OF INTEREST: How and what parents communicate about with FCCPs related to feeding young children. ANALYSIS: Recordings were transcribed verbatim. Two independent coders employed content analysis to analyze transcripts. Reflections, emerging themes, and final themes were discussed. RESULTS: Participants were recruited through FCCPs and were mostly Hispanic and female. Parents mainly communicated with FCCPs in person. Communication with FCCPs related to how and what children were fed did not occur frequently, and parents usually inquired about how much children ate. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Parents did not engage in frequent child nutrition-related communication with their FCCP. However, parents trusted FCCPs to provide healthy and sufficient food to children. More research is needed to identify effective strategies that facilitate child nutrition communication between parents and FCCPs.

Knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and health behaviors of bone health among Caribbean Hispanic/Latino adults.

Few studies have examined knowledge and perceptions of osteoporosis among Caribbean Latino adults. Confusion regarding the term osteoporosis was noted. Doctors were viewed as trusted sources of health information, although descriptions of a paradoxical relationship emerged. This study can be used to inform culturally tailored interventions for osteoporosis prevention. PURPOSE: The overall goal of this study was to assess knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of bone health and osteoporosis among Caribbean Latino adults aged > 50 years. METHODS: This triangulated mixed methods study included completion of a quantitative questionnaire and participation in one of four focus groups to obtain information on (1) general health, (2) knowledge about bone health and osteoporosis, (3) sources of information about bone health, and (4) prevention knowledge and personal responsibility. Quantitative data were analyzed using SAS, and qualitative data were analyzed using descriptive and structural coding by two independent research members. RESULTS: The majority of participants were female (73%), Dominican (84%), and low income (82% < $20,000) with a mean age of 68.4 (± 8.5) years. Most participants had heard of osteoporosis (90%); however, the majority were not able to accurately describe this chronic condition. Health care providers were viewed as most trusted sources of health information, despite feelings of being rushed during their visits, with limited communication about preventative care. Most participants felt that nutrition and exercise were important for overall health. CONCLUSIONS: Caribbean Hispanic adults in this study reported knowledge of osteoporosis and nutritional factors associated with prevention of this chronic condition. However, qualitatively, there was confusion between osteoporosis and other bone and joint conditions. Culturally specific interventions to promote prevention of osteoporosis are urgently needed for this underserved, high-risk population.

Nutrition-Related Practices of Family Child Care Providers and Differences by Ethnicity.

BACKGROUND: Child care settings play an important role in shaping children's eating behaviors; yet few studies have included family child care homes (FCCHs). We examined provider-reported nutrition-related practices in FCCHs and observed adherence to nutrition guidelines from the Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAP SACC), exploring differences by provider ethnicity. METHODS: We assessed baseline data from a cluster-randomized trial, including surveys with FCCH providers and observational data collected at the FCCH. We examined provider-reported nutrition-related practices and if providers met NAP SACC guidelines using observational data. Differences by ethnicity were assessed using chi-square and multivariate log-linear analysis adjusting for education. RESULTS: Providers completed a telephone survey (n = 166, 100% female and 72% Hispanic) and participated in 2 full-day observations (n = 119). Many providers reported engaging in positive nutrition-related practices. Significant differences by ethnicity included the following: Hispanic providers less likely to report feeding practices that were responsive to children's self-regulation, but also less likely to report eating and drinking unhealthy foods/beverages in front of children and having screens on during meals and more likely to report seeking nutrition trainings. Using observational data, only 10 of 26 NAP SACC practices were met by >60% of providers. Few ethnic differences in meeting guidelines were found (7 of 26 practices). CONCLUSIONS: While providers engage in some positive nutrition practices, improvement is needed to ensure that all providers actually meet evidence-based guidelines. Ethnic differences in certain practices underscore the need for culturally relevant trainings. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02452645.

Community-based childhood obesity prevention intervention for parents improves health behaviors and food parenting practices among Hispanic, low-income parents.

BACKGROUND: Given the current prevalence of childhood obesity among Hispanic populations, and the importance of parental feeding behaviors, we aimed to assess the impact of the evidence-based Healthy Children, Healthy Families (HCHF) intervention on responsive food parenting practices (FPPs) in a low-income Hispanic population. METHODS: This community-based pilot study used a non-experimental pre/post within-subjects design. Parents (n = 94) of children aged 3-11 years old were recruited to participate in an 8-week, weekly group-based intervention. The intervention was delivered to nine groups of parents by trained paraprofessional educators over a two-year period. Children participated in a separate curriculum that covered topics similar to those covered in the parent intervention. Parents completed self-administered pre/post surveys, which included demographic questions, seven subscales from the Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire, and the 16-item HCHF Behavior Checklist. Descriptive statistics and paired samples t-tests were used to analyze data from parents that completed the intervention. RESULTS: Fifty-two, primarily Hispanic (93%) parents completed the intervention (39% attrition rate). For parents who completed the intervention, there was a significant increase in one of the feeding practice subscales: encouragement of balance and variety (p = 0.01). There were significant improvements in several parent and child diet and activity outcomes (p ≤ 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Although attrition rates were high, parents completing the study reported enjoying and being satisfied with the intervention. For parents who completed the intervention, reported 'encouragement of balance and variety', in addition to several health behaviors significantly improved. Larger studies utilizing an experimental design, should further explore the impact of the HCHF curriculum on improving certain FPPs and health behaviors that contribute to obesity.

Nutrition and Physical Activity Environments of Home-Based Child Care: What Hispanic Providers Have to Say.

BACKGROUND: It is important to understand the perceptions and beliefs of family child care providers (FCCPs) regarding which factors influence children's physical activity (PA), screen-time (ST), and dietary behaviors in order to develop and implement appropriate obesity prevention interventions. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the aforementioned perceptions and beliefs of FCCPs in Rhode Island. METHODS: Four focus groups (n = 30) were held with FCCPs. Providers were female, Hispanic, and Spanish speaking. Providers were asked about different aspects of feeding, PA, and ST behaviors. Themes were coded using NVivo10 (QSR International Pty Ltd, Doncaster, Victoria, Australia). Content analysis was used to analyze final themes. RESULTS: Providers understood the importance of providing opportunities for healthy eating and PA for the children they cared for, but there was room for improvement, especially with regard to certain feeding and ST practices. Several barriers were evident, including the lack of physical infrastructure for PA, cultural beliefs and practices related to child feeding, and difficulties working with parents to provide consistent messages across environments. CONCLUSIONS: Given that FCCPs are aware of the importance of healthy eating and PA, there is a need to address the specific barriers they face, and operationalize some of their knowledge into practical everyday actions. This formative work will inform the development of a culturally relevant, multicomponent intervention for ethnically diverse FCCPs to improve the food and PA environments of their homes, which should, in turn, improve the dietary, PA, and ST behaviors of the 2- to 5-year-old children they care for.

Contextual and Cultural Influences on Parental Feeding Practices and Involvement in Child Care Centers among Hispanic Parents.

BACKGROUND: Parental feeding practices shape children's dietary preferences and behaviors, which can influence a child's weight status. Limited research exists on the precursors and contextual influences of feeding, particularly among Hispanic parents. Therefore, this study explored two areas potentially important for obesity prevention in young children: (1) precursors and contextual influences on parental feeding and (2) parental perceptions and knowledge of the child care food environment. METHODS: Four focus groups (n=36) were held with Hispanic parents, predominantly mothers, of preschool children at two child care centers. Parents were asked about influences on what and how they feed their children, awareness of the child care center feeding environment, and current involvement in the child care center. Themes were coded using NVivo10 software (QSR International, Melbourne, Australia). RESULTS: Participants' childhood experiences influenced how they feed their children. Parents stated that both husbands and grandparents often indulged their children with unhealthy foods and thought this interfered with their efforts to maintain a healthy home environment. Participants reported that what their children ate while in child care sometimes influenced the home feeding environment. CONCLUSIONS: Cultural and environmental factors influence parental feeding and involvement in the child care setting. Consistent with socioecological system theory, exploring interactions between the environment and culture using a family focus framework, such as the Family Ecological Model, could provide a better understanding of these influences among Hispanic parents. Future obesity prevention interventions with Hispanic families should be culturally relevant and target the different environments where children spend their time.