School of Social Work, College of Public Health, Temple University, 1301 Cecil B. Moore Ave, Ritter Annex 549, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA.
Department of Social Work, Binghamton University, State University of New York, University Downtown Center, 67 Washington St, Binghamton, NY, 13902, USA.
Appetite. 2024 Dec 1;203:107706. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2024.107706. Epub 2024 Oct 5.
Research on childhood nutritional environments, which are predictive of a variety of child and family health and wellbeing outcomes, has primarily focused on parenting behaviors and the home food environment. However, broader social and community factors play an important role in shaping nutritional environments during early childhood. Food security is a key example that is closely linked to nutrition-related health disparities, which can arise from constrained financial resources and material deprivations. Understanding parent and caregiver lived experiences related to social and community components of family nutritional environments in the context of economic constraints could help to support multi-level nutritional practices that are optimal for healthy child development.
Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted using a narrative approach with parents (n = 21) of pre-school aged children living near or below the poverty line. Participants were recruited from social and community service sites pertinent to maternal and child health in Philadelphia where health disparities are highly concentrated. Analysis was conducted using MAX QDA analytic software following a systematic approach for thematic analysis in narrative research.
Three themes describe the feeding and eating environments in the home and community context: 1) Food Procurement and Meal Planning; 2) Family Togetherness; 3) Creativity, Variety, and Flexibility. Creative decision making and food procurement strategies responsive to child preferences were balanced by shopping to save and visiting multiple stores for the best foods and savings. Logistical (e.g., transportation, childcare) and emotional supports facilitated food shopping habits and routines, while lack of trusted childcare, reliable transportation, and social support barriers challenged feeding and eating decisions.
Strategies for improving cost and time-efficiencies could help support health-promoting nutritional environments of families with food insecurity. Building social and community capacity and facilitating connections to practical supports that include trustworthy childcare and peer support may be particularly important for this population.
研究儿童营养环境对儿童和家庭健康和幸福的多种结果具有预测作用，主要集中在育儿行为和家庭食物环境上。然而，更广泛的社会和社区因素在塑造儿童早期的营养环境方面发挥着重要作用。粮食安全是一个重要的例子，它与营养相关的健康差距密切相关，这些差距可能是由于财政资源有限和物质匮乏造成的。了解父母和照顾者在经济受限的情况下与家庭营养环境的社会和社区组成部分相关的生活体验，有助于支持对儿童健康发展最有利的多层次营养实践。
采用叙事方法对 21 名居住在贫困线附近或以下的学龄前儿童的父母进行了半结构化深入访谈。参与者是从与费城母婴健康相关的社会和社区服务点招募的，那里高度集中着健康差距问题。分析是使用 MAX QDA 分析软件进行的，遵循叙事研究中主题分析的系统方法。
三个主题描述了家庭和社区环境中的喂养和饮食环境：1）食品采购和膳食计划；2）家庭团聚；3）创意、多样性和灵活性。灵活的采购策略和满足孩子偏好的食品采购策略，平衡了为省钱而购物和为了购买最好的食品和节省开支而逛多家商店的做法。物流（如交通、儿童保育）和情感支持促进了食品购物习惯和常规，而缺乏可信赖的儿童保育、可靠的交通和社会支持障碍则对喂养和饮食决策构成挑战。
提高成本和时间效率的策略有助于支持粮食不安全家庭的促进健康的营养环境。建立社会和社区能力，并促进与实际支持的联系，包括可信赖的儿童保育和同伴支持，可能对这一人群特别重要。
