A comparative study of diet choice and feeding management among UK pet and child caregivers

Caregivers play a central role in shaping the dietary habits and nutritional health of dependents. However, the diversity of available diets and feeding advice can complicate everyday food decisions. This qualitative study explored how caregivers make feeding decisions for their children and pets, focusing on factors influencing diet choice, feeding practices, perceptions of nutrition, and emotional attachment to dependents.

UK-based caregivers aged 18 years or older, responsible for at least one child aged up to 10 years and a cat and/or dog, were recruited between July and November 2024. Semi-structured online interviews were conducted with 17 participants. Audio recordings were transcribed and analyzed thematically using an interpretive approach. Ethical approval was granted.

Four key themes emerged. First, participants framed nutrition as a moral responsibility across both children and pets, positioning feeding as central to health and wellbeing and shaped by knowledge, identity, emotional attachment, habits, and practical realities. Second, diet choice and feeding practices were shaped by psychosocial determinants, with caregivers' knowledge, beliefs, routines, emotional motivations, and social norms influencing feeding decisions across both children and pets. Third, feeding dynamics differed between contexts. Children's diets involved negotiation and bidirectional relationships shaped by preferences, routines, and agency, whereas pet feeding was more caregiver-directed, routine-based, and influenced by trust in nutritional adequacy and pet-specific needs. Fourth, feeding practices reflected relational attachment and emotional bonds.

Although pets were considered valued family members, their feeding needs were generally prioritized below those of children. Across both contexts, caregivers relied on observable cues, emotional responses, and socially shared norms to assess appropriate feeding. Caregiving beliefs and feeding philosophies transfer across contexts in complex ways, highlighting opportunities for family-focused interventions that support evidence-based nutrition for both people and animals.