Rural Latino parents offer preschool children few nutrient-dense snacks: a community-based study in Western Illinois

The aims of this descriptive study were to identify the snacks offered to preschool children by Latino parents living in a rural community, assess the overall healthfulness of those snacks, and measure related psychosocial correlates. Data were collected using Spanish-language questionnaires and int...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Hispanic health care international 2014, Vol.12 (4), p.189-197
Main Authors: Longley, Carol E, McArthur, Laura H, Holbert, Donald
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Child
Child Behavior
Child Rearing
Child, Preschool
Diet - standards
Feeding Behavior
Female
Hispanic Americans
Humans
Illinois
Infant
Male
Nutrition
Parenting
Parents
Parents & parenting
Pediatric Obesity - ethnology
Pediatric Obesity - etiology
Preschool children
Residence Characteristics
Rural areas
Rural Population
Snack foods
Snacks
Young Adult
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Summary:The aims of this descriptive study were to identify the snacks offered to preschool children by Latino parents living in a rural community, assess the overall healthfulness of those snacks, and measure related psychosocial correlates. Data were collected using Spanish-language questionnaires and interviews completed by 96 parents. Thirty-two percent of snack offerings were nutrient dense. The energy-dense snacks offered most often by the greatest proportion of parents were regular yogurt (17%), whole milk (16%), and fruit drinks (16%); the nutrient-dense snacks offered most often were fresh fruit (43%), low-fat milk (37%), and fruit juice (34%). Two-thirds of parents felt confident about offering healthy snacks, and 67% self-classified in the action stages. The primary barrier to offering healthy snacks was children's refusal to eat these products. These parents would benefit from interventions that teach how to overcome perceived barriers and how to purchase and prepare healthy snacks appealing to preschoolers.
ISSN:1540-4153
1938-8993
DOI:10.1891/1540-4153.12.4.189