Parents Report Positive Changes in Parental Feeding Practices 12 Months After Intervention

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Education
• Parental Behavior
• Child Health

Background:

• Parental feeding practices significantly influence children's dietary habits and long-term health outcomes.
• Targeted nutrition education interventions can empower parents with strategies to improve family food environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess self-reported changes in parental feeding behaviors.
• To understand parental perspectives on feeding interventions at a 12-month follow-up.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of the Food, Feeding, and Your Family intervention.

Main Methods:

• Telephone focus groups were conducted with participants of the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP).
• A 2x2 factorial design examined language (English/Spanish) and delivery mode (in-class/online).
• Participants (n=37) had children aged 2-8 years and high exposure to the intervention.

Main Results:

• Reported positive behavior changes included improved children's diets, increased child involvement in food activities, reduced mealtime stress, healthier food choices, and cost savings.
• Commonly adopted practices involved structured meal routines, repeated introduction of new foods, and fostering children's eating competence.
• Online participants found intervention materials highly accessible, particularly via text messages.

Conclusions:

• Integrating parental feeding content into nutrition education programs like EFNEP is effective for low-income families.
• Both in-class and online delivery modes can support the development of positive parental feeding behaviors.
• Interventions can lead to measurable improvements in family nutrition and food-related practices.