Counseling Immigrant Parents about Food and Feeding Practices: Public Health Nurses' Experiences

To describe the experiences of public health nurses (PHNs) in counseling immigrant parents on food and feeding practices at child health centers (CHCs).

In this study employing a qualitative description (QD) approach, the participants (n = 26) were PHNs from five CHCs in the greater Oslo region of Norway.

Data were collected through five focus group interviews and examined using qualitative content analysis.

Counseling on food and feeding practices was an important topic in most consultations with immigrant parents. The PHNs were concerned that the child should eat ordinary, healthy food regularly. Immigrant families were often experienced as a "generic group" and the PHNs disclosed that they rarely adjusted their counseling strategy based on enquiries about families' food culture or parents' level of education or knowledge. Time constraints and language and cultural barriers were common challenges. The PHNs suggested that culturally adapted information materials and visual aids from health authorities could improve communication.

Counseling immigrant parents on food and feeding at CHCs is often challenging for PHNs. The study findings could be used in the development of guidelines to assist PHNs in delivering culturally competent counseling about food and feeding practices.