Description
Low-income Pennsylvanian parents of 10-14 year olds reveal stressors that challenge obesity prevention efforts. J Nutri Educ Behav. 2015;47(4S):S68. Objective: To describe the psychographics of a lower income, parent/caregiver population recruited to evaluate My Child’s Weight, a program that addresses parent/caregiver concerns about their child’s body size, development, and weight changes. Study Design, Settings, Participants: Cross-sectional online survey (Qualtrics Pro, Provo, UT). Participants were parents/caregivers of children 10 – 14 y, recruited from low-income venues. Measurable Outcome/Analyses: Participants completed items from the SNAP-Education and Administration Reporting System, Satter Eating Competence Inventory, Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-R18), Sense of Coherence (3-item), Parent Modeling Behavior and Fruit and Vegetable Availability questionnaires along with items on weight perception and satisfaction, self-described eating disorders, food security, and the program evaluation. Data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0. Summary of Results: Participants (n=30) were white, mostly female (93%), lower income (90%), 28 – 63 y; SNAP participants (67%) with a profile of weight issues: Mean BMI was 34.7; 22 (73%) were overweight/obese; 53% were dissatisfied with their current weight, 30% perceived current or previous eating disorder issues; only 27% were eating competent; 60% reported feeling stressed. Nearly all (87%) were concerned about the weight of their 10 – 14 y old children, but more so for parents dissatisfied with their own weight (P=0.011). Conclusions and Implications: Findings suggest that developing successful childhood obesity prevention programs will need to address challenges presented by the high prevalence of parents/caregivers who are stressed, eating disordered and not eating competent. Consider parent vulnerabilities and weight-centered psychographics when developing and testing childhood obesity prevention interventions.
Date of creation, presentation, or exhibit
6-30-2015
Document Type
Conference Paper
Department, Program, or Center
Nutrition Management (CHST)
Recommended Citation
Archibeque, Loren and Lohse, Barbara, "Low-Income Pennsylvanian Parents of 10-14 Year Olds Reveal Stressors that Challenge Obesity Prevention Efforts" (2015). Accessed from
https://repository.rit.edu/other/824
Campus
RIT – Main Campus
Comments
Presented during the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior 2015 Annual Conference and published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.