Document Type

Article

Date of Original Version

1-8-2020

Department

Nutrition and Food Sciences

Abstract

ABSTRACT

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.

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