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Overweight and obese children: mothers' strategies
Debra Jackson1, Judy Mannix, Pat Faga
1School of Nursing, Family and Community Health, University of Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. debra.jackson@uws.edu.au
Insights
Mothers use strategies like role modeling and reducing junk food to help overweight children. They view childhood obesity as a family issue, implementing interventions for the whole household to support healthy weight management.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
- Family Studies
Background:
- Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern with significant physical, social, and psychological consequences.
- Parental influence is critical in shaping children's eating and exercise habits for positive health outcomes.
- Effective childhood obesity management requires understanding parental strategies and family dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore strategies mothers use and plan to use for managing overweight and obese children's weight.
- To understand mothers' perspectives on childhood obesity within the family context.
Main Methods:
- Exploratory-descriptive study design informed by feminist research principles.
- In-depth qualitative interviews with eleven mothers of overweight or obese children.
- Transcription and qualitative analysis of interview data.
Main Results:
- Mothers demonstrated a strong understanding of obesity and its implications.
- Initiated strategies included role modeling, promoting physical activity, reducing junk food, and mindful eating.
- Childhood obesity was perceived as a family issue, with interventions targeting the entire family.
Conclusions:
- Further research is needed on childhood obesity management within family life.
- Exploring socio-cultural variations in mothers' approaches to childhood obesity is essential.
- Longitudinal studies are required to assess the effectiveness and sustainability of family-based lifestyle interventions.
Aim:
This paper reports a study exploring the strategies a group of mothers of overweight and obese children were using and planned to use in the future to assist their children to achieve a healthy weight.
Background:
Over the past two decades, the prevalence of childhood obesity has grown exponentially to become a major public health concern. Extant literature suggests that childhood obesity is associated with a range of physical, social and psychological effects, including poor self-esteem, depression, social isolation, and cardio-vascular and other morbidity. Parents are known to be important in determining early eating and exercise habits, and their involvement is crucial to achieving positive child health outcomes.
Methods:
An exploratory-descriptive design informed by feminist research principles shaped the study, which was carried out in 2003-2004. Eleven mothers meeting the inclusion criteria took part in in-depth interviews. These were transcribed, and qualitatively analysed.
Findings:
Participants revealed sound understandings of the concept and ramifications of obesity. They had initiated a range of strategies including role modelling, developing opportunities for increased physical activity, reducing the use of junk food, and heightened awareness of how they used food. Participants viewed the problem as a family rather than an individual problem, and aimed many of the interventions at the entire family to avoid targeting the focus child.
Conclusions:
Further research into how childhood obesity is managed within the context of family life is needed. Specifically, additional perspectives on how mothers from various socio-cultural groups address childhood obesity within family life, and longitudinal studies to explore the efficacy and sustainability of family-based lifestyle changes that are made in response to concerns about child weight issues. Additional research to explore the type and nature of family support that can best assist families to achieve sustainable lifestyle improvements is needed.
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