Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Apr;25(4):879-892.
doi: 10.1017/S1368980021003086. Epub 2021 Jul 29.

Information seeking of French parents regarding infant and young child feeding: practices, needs and determinants

Sofia De Rosso  1 , Sophie Nicklaus  1 , Pauline Ducrot  2 , Camille Schwartz  1
Affiliations

Information seeking of French parents regarding infant and young child feeding: practices, needs and determinants

Sofia De Rosso et al. Public Health Nutr. 2022 Apr.

Abstract

Objective: As part of an update of feeding benchmarks targeting children aged 0-3 years, this study aimed to explore parental perceptions, information-seeking practices and needs concerning infant and young child feeding (IYCF) to design an efficient communication strategy.

Design: Participants were recruited using the quota sampling to complete an online survey. Effects of parity, child age, prematurity, parental education and financial situation on parents' responses were evaluated separately.

Setting: France.

Participants: A nationally representative sample of 1001 parents of children <4 years.

Results: Parents whose child had any medical condition affecting feeding (children with medical condition (CMC), 17 %) were considered separately from healthy children's parents. All the healthy children's parents recognised the importance of IYCF for children's health and growth; however, one-third considered the available advice contradictory and not guilt-free. The most used information sources were healthcare professionals (HCP, 81 %), internet (72 %) and parental networks (63 %). The most influential sources (mean influence ± sd) included HCP (7·7 ± 1·7/10), childcare professionals (7·3 ± 1·8/10) and parental networks (6·9 ± 1·8/10). Parents searched for practical tips for implementing IYCF starting when their child was 5 months old. Differences regarding the type of source used by parents with higher v. lower educations were small. Search strategies differed according to parity or child age but not to prematurity. The CMC parents reported slightly different practices and needs.

Conclusions: Parents receive information from multiple sources, which can lead to confusion when deciding which advice to follow. A public health communication strategy adapted to the current parental needs should target these various sources.

Keywords: Child feeding guidelines; Complementary feeding information; Infant feeding; Parents’ information sources; Public health communication.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Blake-Lamb TL, Locks LM, Perkins ME et al. (2016) Interventions for childhood obesity in the first 1000 d a systematic review. Am J Prev Med 50, 780–789. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Birch LL & Ventura AK (2009) Preventing childhood obesity: what works? Int J Obes 33, S74–S81. - PubMed
    1. Haire-Joshu D & Tabak R (2016) Preventing obesity across generations: evidence for early life intervention. Annu Rev Public Health 37, 253–271. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Nicklaus S (2016) The role of food experiences during early childhood in food pleasure learning. Appetite 104, 3–9. - PubMed
    1. Nicklaus S (2017) The role of dietary experience in the development of eating behavior during the first years of life. Ann Nutr Metab 70, 241–245. - PubMed

Publication types