Abstract
Childhood obesity remains a significant public health issue. Because lifestyle behaviors
and weight are established early and track through life stages, prevention strategies
must commence in the first years of life. Traditionally, such strategies target parents
or formal child care providers. Yet grandparents are increasingly providing care to
grandchildren and therefore have an important role in their eating and activity behaviors,
which creates a major research gap. This commentary piece, focusing on the Australian
context, argues that it is imperative and timely for obesity prevention research to
include investigations regarding the role of grandparents in the prevention of obesity-related
behaviors in young children.
Key Words
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessSNEB Member Login
SNEB Members, full access to the journal is a member benefit. Login via the SNEB Website to access all journal content and features.Subscribe:
Subscribe to Journal of Nutrition Education and BehaviorAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Age-related consequences of childhood obesity.Gerontology. 2014; 60: 222-228
- Tracking of childhood overweight into adulthood: a systematic review of the literature.Obes Rev. 2008; 9: 474-488
- Evidence that the prevalence of childhood overweight is plateauing: data from nine countries.Int J Pediatr Obes. 2011; 6: 342-360
- Global, regional, and national prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adults during 1980–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013.Lancet. 2014; 384: 766-781
- Levels and Trends in Child Malnutrition: UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Group Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates.http://www.who.int/nutgrowthdb/jme_brochure2016.pdf?ua=1Date accessed: December 1, 2017
- Interventions for preventing obesity in children.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2011; (CD001871)
- Childhood obesity: prevention and strategies of intervention: a systematic review of school-based interventions in primary schools.J Endocrinol Invest. 2014; 37: 1155-1164
- Interventions for preventing obesity in children.Sao Paulo Med J. 2014; 132: 128-129
- Interventions to prevent and manage overweight or obesity in preschool children: a systematic review.Int J Nurs Stud. 2016; 53: 270-289
- Early influences on the development of food preferences.Curr Biol. 2013; 23: R401-R408
- Genetic and environmental determinants of children's food preferences.Br J Nutr. 2008; 99: S15-S21
- Systematic review of physical activity and health in the early years (aged 0–4 years).Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2012; 37: 773-792
- Tracking of obesity-related behaviours from childhood to adulthood: a systematic review.Maturitas. 2011; 70: 266-284
- Report on the Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity.WHO, Geneva, Switzerland2016
- Parents as agents of change in childhood obesity—from research to practice.Int J Pediatr Obes. 2006; 1: 66-76
- Parents are key players in the prevention and treatment of weight-related problems.Nutr Rev. 2004; 62: 39-50
- Interventions for the prevention of overweight and obesity in preschool children: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.Obes Rev. 2011; 12: e107-e118
- Interventions to prevent obesity in 0–5 year olds: an updated systematic review of the literature.Obesity (Silver Spring). 2010; 18: S27-S35
- Who's Minding the Kids? Child Care Arrangements: Spring 2011.US Census Bureau, Washington, DC2013
- 2016 Childcare Survey.https://www.familyandchildcaretrust.org/file/3457/download?token=92AtNHzEDate accessed: January 22, 2018
- Childhood Education and Care, Australia.ABS, Canberra, Australia2014
- Association of childcare arrangement with overweight and obesity in preschool-aged children: a narrative review of literature.Int J Obes (Lond). 2017; 41: 1-12
- Australian Health Survey: Updated Results, 2011–2012.ABS, Canberra, Australia2013
- The NOURISH randomised control trial: positive feeding practices and food preferences in early childhood—a primary prevention program for childhood obesity.BMC Public Health. 2009; 14: 387
- Early intervention of multiple home visits to prevent childhood obesity in a disadvantaged population: a home-based randomised controlled trial (Healthy Begginnings Trial).BMC Public Health. 2007; 7: 76
- Effectiveness of home based early intervention on children's BMI at age 2: randomised controlled trial.BMJ. 2012; 344: e3732
- The Infant Feeding Activity and Nutrition Trial (INFANT) an early intervention to prevent childhood obesity: cluster-randomised controlled trial.BMC Public Health. 2008; 31: 103
- A parent-focused intervention to reduce infant obesity risk behaviors: a randomized trial.Pediatrics. 2013; 131: 652-660
- Australian Social Trends—Child Care.ABS, Canberra, Australia2010 (Report No. 4102.0)
- Australian Social Trends—Trends in Women's Employment.ABS, Canberra, Australia2006 (Report No. 4102.0)
- Gender workplace statistics at a glance.(Australian Government)https://www.wgea.gov.au/sites/default/files/2014-02-10-Stats_at_a_Glance.pdfDate: 2014Date accessed: August 21, 2017
- Childcare and Early Childhood Learning: Overview.Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra, Australia2014
- Snapshot: Child Care by Grandparents Education and Training Newsletter.ABS, Canberra, Australia2012
- The contribution of physical activity and sedentary behaviours to the growth and development of children and adolescents: implications for overweight and obesity.Sports Med. 2007; 37: 533-545
- A comparison between the feeding practices of parents and grandparents.Eat Behav. 2014; 15: 339-342
- Influence of grandparents on eating behaviors of young children in Chinese three-generation families.Appetite. 2007; 48: 377-383
- The role of grandparents in childhood obesity in China—evidence from a mixed methods study.Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2015; 12: 91
- A question of balance: explaining differences between parental and grandparental perspectives on preschoolers' feeding and physical activity.Soc Sci Med. 2016; 154: 28-35
- The influence of grandparents on children's diets.J Consum Res. 2010; 18: 8
- Parents' and caregivers' concerns about obesity in young children—A qualitative study.Fam Community Health. 2007; 30: 279-295
- Intergenerational transmission of dietary behaviours: a qualitative study of Anglo-Australian, Chinese-Australian and Italian-Australian three-generation families.Appetite. 2016; 103: 309-317
- “You must finish your dinner”: meal time dynamics between grandparents, parents and grandchildren in urban China.Br Food J. 2013; 115: 365-376
- Parents report intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental barriers to supporting healthy eating and physical activity among their preschoolers.Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2008; 33: 338-346
- Hispanic children and the obesity epidemic: exploring the role of abuelas.Fam Syst Health. 2013; 31: 274-279
- Child feeding practices and the etiology of obesity.Obesity (Silver Spring). 2006; 14: 343-344
- Grandparent involvement and children's health outcomes: the current state of the literature.Fam Syst Health. 2016; 34: 260-269
- Employment characteristics of families: summary.
- Parents working out work.(Melbourne, Australia: Commonwealth of Australia)
- Evaluation of an intervention to promote protective infant feeding practices to prevent childhood obesity: outcomes of the NOURISH RCT at 14 months of age and 6 months post the first of two intervention modules.Int J Obes (Lond). 2012; 36: 1292-1298
- Changes in the food environment over time: examining 40 years of data in the Framingham Heart Study.Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2017; 14: 84
- The nutrition transition and obesity in the developing world.J Nutr. 2001; 131: S871-S873
- Intergenerational family conversations and decision making about eating healthfully.J Nutr Educ Behav. 2006; 38: 298-306
- The potential benefits of parenting programs for grandparents: recommendations and clinical implications.J Child Fam Stud. 2015; 24: 3200-3212
- Using consumer input to tailor evidence-based parenting interventions to the needs of grandparents.J Child Fam Stud. 2012; 21: 626-636
- Missing the Target: We Need to Focus on Informal Care Rather Than Preschool.Center on Children and Families at Brookings Institution, Washington, DC2016 (Report No. 19)
- Child Care in Australia: A Quick Guide.Parliament of Australia, Canberra, Australia2015
- Grandparents raising their grandchildren: a review of the literature and suggestions for practice.Gerontologist. 2005; 45: 262-269
- Grandparent Childcare and Labour Market Participation in Australia.National Seniors Australia, Melbourne, Australia2015
- Grandparents raising grandchildren: the role of social support in coping with caregiving challenges.Int J Aging Hum Dev. 2006; 62: 359-383
- Low grandparental social support combined with low parental socioeconomic status is closely associated with obesity in preschool-aged children: a pilot study.Pediatr Obes. 2016; 11: 313-316
- Parental influence and obesity prevention in pre-schoolers: a systematic review of interventions.Obes Rev. 2011; 12: 315-328
- Childhood obesity treatment: targeting parents exclusively v. parents and children.Br J Nutr. 2006; 95: 1008-1015
- Grandparents raising grandchildren: a response to a nutrition and physical activity intervention.J Am Diet Assoc. 2007; 107: 1210-1213
- Process evaluation results from an intergenerational physical activity intervention for grandparents raising grandchildren.J Phys Act Health. 2016; 13: 525-533
- Grandfamilies health watchers program.J Intergener Relatsh. 2010; 8: 369-385
- A randomized controlled trial evaluating a parenting program designed specifically for grandparents.Behav Res Ther. 2014; 52: 35-44
- Active generations: an intergenerational approach to preventing childhood obesity.J Sch Health. 2012; 82: 380-386
- Theories of behaviour and behaviour change across the social and behavioural sciences: a scoping review.Health Psychol Rev. 2015; 9: 323-344
- The role of behavioral science theory in development and implementation of public health interventions.Annu Rev Public Health. 2010; 31: 399-418
- Child care practices anteceding three patterns of preschool behavior.Genet Psychol Monogr. 1967; 75: 43-88
- Socialization in the Context of the Family: Parent–Child Interaction.John Wiley and Sons, New York, NY1983
- Family Systems Theory.in: Comprehensive Handbook of Social Work and Social Welfare. Vol. 2. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ2008: 431-462
- The behaviour change wheel: a new method for characterising and designing behaviour change interventions.Implement Sci. 2011; 6: 42
- Development of SmokeFree Baby: a smoking cessation smartphone app for pregnant smokers.Transl Behav Med. 2016; 6: 533-545
- The acceptability of parenting strategies for grandparents providing care to their grandchildren.Prev Sci. 2014; 15: 777-787
- Challenges associated with recruiting multigenerational, multicultural families into a randomised controlled trial: balancing feasibility with validity.Contemp Clin Trials. 2015; 43: 185-193
- Modularity in the design and application of therapeutic interventions.Appl Prev Psychol. 2005; 11: 141-156
- Twelve-month effectiveness of a parent-led, family-focused weight-management program for prepubertal children: a randomized, controlled trial.Pediatrics. 2007; 119: 517-525
- Improving healthcare through the use of co-design.N Z Med J. 2012; 125: 76-87
Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 12, 2018
Accepted:
December 14,
2017
Footnotes
Conflict of Interest Disclosure: The authors have not stated any conflicts of interest.
Identification
Copyright
© 2018 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.
ScienceDirect
Access this article on ScienceDirectLinked Article
- As Caregivers and a Vulnerable Group Themselves, Older Adults Need UsJournal of Nutrition Education and BehaviorVol. 50Issue 5
- PreviewMany consider the young, low income, and older adults in the US to be vulnerable populations for poor diet and health. While JNEB has published many research articles concerning children and those with low income, older adults have not been participants in many of our articles lately. However, there are 2 in this issue. Chang and Hickman1 analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys to determine how functional limitations in low-income elderly adults related to food insecurity and poor diet quality.
- Full-Text
- Preview
