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. 2019 Jul;29(9):1345-1357.
doi: 10.1177/1049732318814540. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

An Ecocultural Perspective on Eating-Related Routines Among Low-Income Families With Preschool-Aged Children

Traci A Bekelman  1 , Laura L Bellows  2 , Lauren Clark  3 , Darcy A Thompson  1 , Geri Kemper  1 , Morgan L McCloskey  2 , Susan L Johnson  1
Affiliations

An Ecocultural Perspective on Eating-Related Routines Among Low-Income Families With Preschool-Aged Children

Traci A Bekelman et al. Qual Health Res. 2019 Jul.

Abstract

Eating-related routines, such as regular mealtimes, can protect against obesity. Little is known about eating-related routines among preschoolers or the factors that shape those routines. Ecocultural Theory and qualitative interviews with 30 caregivers of preschoolers in Colorado were used to describe eating-related routines at home and parents' perspectives on the factors that shape routines. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze and interpret data. Consistent with clinical recommendations, parents' goals included dinner meals where adults and preschoolers eat the same food, in the same place, at the same time. However, parents' employment schedules and challenges in managing preschoolers' behavior prevented parents from consistently enacting recommended routines. Educating parents alone may not be sufficient to ensure optimal eating-related routines among preschoolers, and the household context needs to be considered. Families organized routines according to cultural values and available resources.

Keywords: Ecocultural Theory; United States; daily routine; home environment; low-income; mealtime; preschool; qualitative methods.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The five features of family routines (participants, goals and values, script for normative conduct, motives and emotions, and tasks to be performed) derived from ecocultural theory that impact child eating behaviors, dietary intake, and growth.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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