Maternal perspectives on lifestyle habits that put children of Mexican descent at risk for obesity.

PURPOSE

This article presents the views that mothers of Mexican descent have related to lifestyle habits that put children at risk for obesity.

DESIGN AND METHOD

A qualitative, naturalistic design using ethnographic interviews was selected for this study. Informational redundancy was reached with 9 mothers of Mexican descent. Spradley's Developmental Research Sequence guided data collection and analysis.

RESULTS

Participants held views that were congruent with the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendations.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Findings provide nurses with knowledge on how mothers of Mexican descent view appropriate nutrition, discipline in feeding, and the place of physical activity and television in young preschool children's lives.