Abstract
Objective
To explore parenting advice children would provide to help parents encourage positive
health-related behaviors by children.
Design
Focus group discussions were conducted, and children shared the advice they would
provide parents to help them encourage healthy weight-related behaviors (ie, diet,
physical activity, and sleep) for children.
Setting
Focus groups (n = 65) were conducted in 3 states (Florida, New Jersey, and West Virginia).
Participants
School-age children (n = 194) between the ages of 6 and 11 years old.
Phenomenon of Interest
What parenting practices are recommended by children, and are they in line with best-practice
guidelines?
Analysis
Focus group data were analyzed to identify themes and trends.
Results
Children's recommendations were congruent with authoritative parenting styles (ie,
high levels of warmth and control). Most of the advice shared by children aligned
with recommended parent practices (ie, responsive feeding, facilitation, environmental
restructuring, parent modeling, and encouragement). However, not all of the children's
advice aligned with best practices guidelines (ie, use of food rewards and deception).
Conclusions And Implications
Future nutrition education programs may be strengthened by helping parents adopt best
practices for promoting healthy child behaviors. Furthermore, teaching children about
recommended child feeding parenting practices may help protect future generations
by preparing children to care for younger siblings or raise their children using best
parenting practices.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: October 10, 2019
Accepted:
September 10,
2019
Footnotes
Conflict of Interest Disclosure: The authors have not stated any conflicts of interest.
Identification
Copyright
© 2019 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
