Purpose: To understand how and where parents of infants and young children (children ≤5 years old) prefer to receive nutrition information.
Methods: A 1-page survey was developed and pilot tested at 2 community agencies. The final survey was distributed at 18 community health centres (CHCs) in Calgary and surrounding rural areas. Any parent attending a well-child visit (child ≤5 years old) was able to participate.
Results: Five hundred and twenty-nine surveys were completed. The majority of respondents at every CHC identified online reading (79.2%) in their home (86.0%) as the preferred method and location to receive nutrition information. Almost all (99.4%) participants had internet access. Handouts (38.6%) were the second most popular way to receive nutrition information. In-person and online classes were only a preferred method by a small percentage of respondents, 10.6% and 8.1%, respectively.
Conclusions: Appropriate, evidence-based nutrition websites should be promoted to parents with young children. Health professionals should be aware that parents likely access nutrition information online, and they need to provide an opportunity for parents to discuss what they found. Future research is needed to understand which websites parents access for online nutrition information and how they discern whether it is credible.