Grow well/Crecer bien: a protocol for research on infant feeding practices in low-income families

BMC Public Health

Alison Tovar¹  Ann M. Cheney²  Lucero Vaca²  Tanya Nieri³  Gretel Garcia⁴  Michael Castillo⁵  Colleen Versteeg⁶  Esmirna Valencia⁷  Arlene Molina⁸  Ana Ramirez Zarate⁹ 

[1] Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, USA;Department of Social Medicine Population and Public Health, 900 University Ave, 92501, Riverside, USA;Department of Sociology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, USA;Graduate School of Education, University of California Riverside, Riverside, USA;Imperial County Office of Education, El Centro, USA;Orange County Head Start, Inc., Santa Ana, USA;Riverside County Office of Education, Riverside, USA;San Bernardino County Preschool Services Department, San Bernardino, USA;School of Public Policy, University of California Riverside, Riverside, USA;

关键词: Obesity;    Infant feeding practices;    Infant feeding styles;    Low-income families;    Nutrition education;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12889-020-09471-1

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe prevalence of obesity among children remains high. Given obesity’s significant lifelong consequences, there is great interest in preventing obesity early in life. There is a need to better understand the relation of common infant feeding styles and practices to obesity in infants using longitudinal study designs. There is also an urgent need to understand the role of caregivers other than mothers in feeding. A better understanding of variation in feeding styles and practices can inform the identification of risk groups and the tailoring of interventions to them.MethodsIn partnership with Early Head Start programs across four counties in southern California, mothers and infants will be enrolled in a two-year longitudinal study collecting survey and anthropometric data. A subsample of mothers and their selected other caregivers will participate in qualitative research involving feeding diaries and dyadic interviews. The results will be used to develop and test an enhanced nutrition education program.DiscussionWe outline a study methodology to examine feeding styles and practices and their association with early childhood obesity risk and enhance an existing intervention to promote healthy infant feeding and growth among children in low-income families.

【 授权许可】

CC BY