Counseling parents about child feeding: a qualitative evaluation of French doctors and health/childcare professionals’ experiences and perception of a brochure containing new recommendations

BMC Public Health

Research

Sofia De Rosso¹  Camille Riera-Navarro¹  Camille Schwartz¹  Sophie Nicklaus¹  Pauline Ducrot² 

[1] Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l’Alimentation, CNRS, INRAE, Institut Agro, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, F-21000, Dijon, France;Santé publique France, French national public health agency, F-94415, Saint- Maurice, France;

关键词: Feeding recommendations;    Guidelines;    Health communication;    Health promotion;    Complementary feeding;    Qualitative research;    Parental feeding practices;    Breastfeeding;    Public health;    Pediatricians;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12889-022-14778-2

 received in 2021-12-28, accepted in 2022-11-30,  发布年份 2022

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundParents are crucial in establishing their children’s eating habits, and doctors and health/childcare professionals (HCCPs) can provide meaningful and trusted guidance on feeding, especially in the 0-3-year-old period. With the upcoming release of the official brochure containing the new child feeding recommendations in France, this study aims to: (1) assess professionals’ practices and perceptions regarding their communication with parents on child feeding and (2) evaluate their perception of the draft of the new brochure.MethodsA 15-page draft brochure (without pictures) containing updated child feeding recommendations for children 0–3 years old was developed by Santé publique France (the French public health agency). Online semi-structured interviews were conducted with professionals (n = 21), including 13 pediatricians and general practitioners (doctors) and eight healthcare or childcare professionals (HCCPs) two weeks after they were provided with this draft brochure to read. The interview guide was developed and piloted with other professionals (n = 3) prior to these interviews. Interview data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically using an inductive approach.ResultsWhile doctors and HCCPs mostly communicate orally with parents, both acknowledged that the brochure might be a helpful supplement, especially for HCCPs to legitimize their advice to parents. For doctors, giving the brochure to parents may help provide systematic advice and save time during consultations. Professionals serving parents of lower socioeconomic status would prefer a supplement with less text and more illustrations. In general, the messages were perceived to be easily understandable but providing detachable cards to distribute according to the child’s age would facilitate information dissemination and might be more useful to parents. Professionals reported that lack of training, the circulation of contradictory information, and language barriers were common challenges.ConclusionFrench professionals welcomed the new official brochure as a means to spread updated child feeding recommendations. However, this brochure could be modified and specific tools developed to better adapt to professionals’ needs of communication with parents and to facilitate the relay of information. Providing updated and consistent information to parents should be considered a priority for public health stakeholders toward increased adherence to new recommendations.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2022

【 图 表 】

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Fig. 7