Examining Constructs of Parental Reflective Motivation towards Reducing Unhealthy Food Provision to Young Children

Exploring the influence of context on social norms around Australian parents' food provision using story completion

OBJECTIVE

To explore the differences in social norms around parents' food provision in different provision contexts and by demographics.

DESIGN

Qualitative study using story completion methodology via an online survey in September 2021. Adults 18+ with or without children were randomised to one of three story stems focusing on food provision in different contexts; food provision at home (non-visitor), with visitors present and with the involvement of sport. Stories were coded and themed using thematic analysis. A content analysis was performed to determine count and frequency of codes in stories by participant demographics and story assumptions.

SETTING

Australia.

PARTICIPANTS

Adults (n 196).

RESULTS

Nine themes were identified from the data resulting in four social norms around providing healthy foods and justifying non-adherence to healthy eating guidelines, evolution of family life and mealtime values, the presence of others influencing how we engage with food provision and unhealthy foods used as incentives/rewards in sport. Following content analysis, no differences of themes or norms by participant demographics or story assumptions were found.

CONCLUSIONS

We identified pervasive social norms around family food provision and further identified how contextual factors resulted in variations or distinct norms. This highlights the impact context may have on the social norms parents face when providing food to their children and the opportunities and risks of leveraging these social norms to influence food choice in these contexts. Public health interventions and practitioners should understand the influence of context and social environments when promoting behaviour change and providing individualised advice. Future research could explore parents' experiences of these norms and to what extent they impact food choice.

Exploring the social norms regarding parents' food provision in Australia using story completion methodology

Children's diets are not aligned with dietary guidelines, with the social context including social norms being one factor influencing parents' food provision. Little is known about social norms in broad society that parents face when providing food to children. We aimed to determine the social norms surrounding family food provision from the perspectives of Australian adults. This qualitative study used story completion methodology via an online survey to gather hypothetical stories from adults (≥18 years). Participants were presented with a story stem focusing on home food provision. Stories (i.e. data) were coded and analysed using thematic analysis. Five themes were identified from the data (N = 75); 1. Providing a healthy snack, 2. Providing justification for the provision of unhealthy convenience foods, 3. Increasing child autonomy in food provision, 4. Mealtimes are a social occasion, and 5. Contextual factors influencing food provision and social norms. From these themes, social norms were identified around providing healthy foods and justifying non-adherence to healthy eating guidelines and evolution of family life and mealtime values. This study provides new knowledge that there are social norms around parents providing healthy foods and needing to justify non-adherence to healthy eating guidelines, as well as the norm that family life and mealtime values are evolving. This highlights the need to consider the broader context that influences food choices. Furthermore, this study highlights the utility of novel methods in this field.

Understanding the influence of physical resources and social supports on primary food providers' snack food provision: a discrete choice experiment

BACKGROUND

Snack eating occasions contribute approximately a third of children's energy intake, with approximately half of all unhealthy foods consumed during snack times. Therefore, it is critical to understand the drivers of primary food providers' snack provision. The study aims were to determine the relative importance of physical resources and social supports when primary food providers are choosing snacks to provide to their child, and to investigate how these attributes differ in social versus non-social occasions, and between subgroups of primary food providers based on socio-economic position.

METHODS

Primary food providers of three to seven-year olds completed an online discrete choice experiment, by making trade-offs when completing repeated, hypothetical choice tasks on the choice of snacks to provide to their child in: 1) non-social and 2) social condition. Choice tasks included two alternatives consisting of varying attribute (i.e. factor) levels, and an opt-out option. The order of conditions shown were randomized across participants. Multinomial logit model analyses were used to determine utility weights for each attribute.

RESULTS

Two-hundred and twenty-five primary food providers completed the study, providing 1125 choice decisions per condition. In the non-social condition, the top three ranked attributes were type of food (utility weight 1.94, p < 0.001), child resistance (- 1.62, p < 0.001) and co-parent support (0.99, p < 0.001). In the social condition, top ranking attributes were child resistance (utility weight - 1.50, p < 0.001), type of food (1.38, p < 0.001) and co-parent support (1.07, p < 0.001). In both conditions, time was not a significant influence and cost was of lowest relative importance. Subgroup analyses revealed cost was not a significant influence for families from higher socio-economic backgrounds.

CONCLUSIONS

Type of food, child resistance and co-parent support were of greatest relative importance in primary food providers' snack provision decision-making, regardless of social condition or socio-economic position. In designing future interventions to reduce unhealthy snacks, researchers should prioritize these influences, to better support primary food providers in changing their physical and social opportunity.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry no. ACTR N12618001173280.