RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To explore the beliefs shaping maternal decision-making around feeding practices in early childhood in a subset of Jamaican mothers from rural and urban communities. DESIGN AND METHODS: Focus group discussions guided by semi-qualitative questionnaires were conducted with thirty mothers of infants 6-24 months recruited from health clinics in 2 urban and 2 rural Jamaican communities. Data from discussions transcribed from audio recordings and field notes were categorized and interpreted using pre-set themes through an iterative process to identify emergent themes. Analysis was guided by the Theory of Reasoned Action embedded in the Socio-Ecological Perspective. RESULTS: Rural and urban mothers beliefs, and by extension their actions, were influenced by (a) their instincts, (b) their accepted knowledge (from personal and observed experience, credible professional input, and personal experimentation), (c) cultural norms (i.e. views of body weight/health relationship and visual perceptions of healthy); (d) input of experienced family members; and (e) their accepted concept of infants innate ability to express needs. Additionally, rural mothers beliefs were influenced by non-family social networks. For all mothers, the use of growth charts in portable health records and reliance on specific local television programs with health segments for health information was salient. The latter presents a unique tool for potentially building maternal confidence for healthy feeding practices. CONCLUSION: Early childhood food choices are predominantly dictated by parental belief-driven actions. Effective interventions targeting the impact of maternal feeding practices on childhood obesity should incorporate supportive, credible professional input, address how and what knowledge influences individual beliefs, increase community-wide knowledge, and target cultural norms.
