A question of balance: Explaining differences between parental and grandparental perspectives on preschoolers' feeding and physical activity

Karin Eli; Kyndal Howell; Philip A Fisher; Paulina Nowicka

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.02.030

A question of balance: Explaining differences between parental and grandparental perspectives on preschoolers' feeding and physical activity

Soc Sci Med. 2016 Apr:154:28-35. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.02.030. Epub 2016 Feb 20.

Authors

Karin Eli¹, Kyndal Howell², Philip A Fisher³, Paulina Nowicka⁴

Affiliations

¹ Unit for Biocultural Variation and Obesity, Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Oxford, 51/53 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 6PE, UK. Electronic address: karin.eli@anthro.ox.ac.uk.
² Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, 1227 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA. Electronic address: kyndalh@uoregon.edu.
³ Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, 1227 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA. Electronic address: philf@uoregon.edu.
⁴ Division of Pediatrics, B62, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet, 141 86 Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Food, Nutrition and Dietetics, Uppsala University, 751 22 Uppsala, Sweden. Electronic address: paulina.nowicka@ikv.uu.se.

Abstract

Rationale: Although one quarter of US and UK families rely on grandparents as the main providers of informal childcare, grandparental perspectives on the feeding and physical activity of young children remain understudied.

Objective: The study's aim was to elucidate parents' and grandparents' perspectives on young children's feeding and physical activity, and identify how they negotiate potential differences between these perspectives.

Methods: We interviewed 22 parents and 27 grandparents from 16 families of children aged 3-5 years in the Pacific Northwest, US. Using familial homeostasis as a novel theoretical framework, the interviews were analyzed to assess differences between parental and grandparental perspectives on feeding and physical activity.

Results: The analysis yielded six thematic categories: (1) disagreements about feeding stem from parents' and grandparents' differing definitions of healthy feeding; (2) differences between parents' and grandparents' feeding practices reflect differences in perceived caretaking roles; (3) parents and grandparents negotiate differences in feeding practices through grandparental compliance and parental compromise; (4) differences in preschoolers' physical activity are influenced by parents' and grandparents' own access to and engagement in physical activity; (5) parents and grandparents express few disagreements about preschoolers' screen-time; (6) parents and grandparents rarely discuss preschoolers' physical activity. The findings suggest that parental and grandparental decision-making about feeding and exercise is informed by ideas of what constitutes familial balance and a balanced lifestyle for a preschool aged child, rather than by the child's weight status.

Conclusions: Parents and grandparents appear to engage in practices designed to preserve familial homeostasis, which may provide a compelling explanation for the persistent difficulties in implementing family-based childhood obesity interventions.

Keywords: Children; Feeding; Grandparents; Obesity; Parents; Physical activity; Screen-time.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Aged
Child, Preschool
Exercise / psychology*
Feeding Behavior / psychology*
Female
Grandparents / psychology*
Humans
Intergenerational Relations
Male
Middle Aged
Negotiating / methods
Parents / psychology*
Pediatric Obesity / prevention & control
Qualitative Research
Television / statistics & numerical data
United States
Young Adult

Grants and funding

P50 DA035763/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States