TY - JOUR
T1 - Child and parental perspectives on diet and physical activity decisions
T2 - Implications for childhood obesity prevention in China
AU - Wang, Youfa
AU - Yan, Alice Fang
AU - Shi, Xinyu
AU - Wang, Huijun
AU - Wang, Zhiyong
AU - Gittelsohn, Joel
AU - Xu, Fei
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors declare no conflicts of interest of this study. The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) grant number U54HD070725). The U54 project is co-funded by the NICHD and the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funders.
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - Background and Objectives: Obesity has become a global epidemic. In China, 42% of adults and about onefifth of children are overweight or obese. In major cities, about one-third of boys are overweight or obese. This study aimed to understand how children and parents in China make eating and physical activity (PA) decisions, considering individual, family, community, social, and environmental factors, and to collect parents' recommendations for interventions to promote healthy eating and physical activity. Methods and Study Design: Children (n=41, aged 10-15 years) and their parents (n=41) participated in eight semi-structured focus groups (FGs) in Beijing (in North China) and Nanjing (South China). Each site conducted two FGs with children and two FGs with parents. A framework analysis of FG data was conducted with NVivo. Results: Three main themes were identified: Children chose food based on flavor, and consumption of unhealthy snacks was prevalent; there were inconsistent standards and practices of school lunch services across schools; students had limited PA time due to academic demand. Students favored high-calorie snacks over fruits or vegetables. Students' and parents' perceptions of school lunch services varied among schools in terms of operation, price, quality, nutritious options, and food taste. Most students reported enjoying PA but spent little time in PA, due to study burdens. Parents made recommendations for improving school food services and increasing PA during and after school. Conclusions: These findings will help develop family- and school-targeted health promotion interventions. Intervention framing must consider the unique Chinese social and cultural context.
AB - Background and Objectives: Obesity has become a global epidemic. In China, 42% of adults and about onefifth of children are overweight or obese. In major cities, about one-third of boys are overweight or obese. This study aimed to understand how children and parents in China make eating and physical activity (PA) decisions, considering individual, family, community, social, and environmental factors, and to collect parents' recommendations for interventions to promote healthy eating and physical activity. Methods and Study Design: Children (n=41, aged 10-15 years) and their parents (n=41) participated in eight semi-structured focus groups (FGs) in Beijing (in North China) and Nanjing (South China). Each site conducted two FGs with children and two FGs with parents. A framework analysis of FG data was conducted with NVivo. Results: Three main themes were identified: Children chose food based on flavor, and consumption of unhealthy snacks was prevalent; there were inconsistent standards and practices of school lunch services across schools; students had limited PA time due to academic demand. Students favored high-calorie snacks over fruits or vegetables. Students' and parents' perceptions of school lunch services varied among schools in terms of operation, price, quality, nutritious options, and food taste. Most students reported enjoying PA but spent little time in PA, due to study burdens. Parents made recommendations for improving school food services and increasing PA during and after school. Conclusions: These findings will help develop family- and school-targeted health promotion interventions. Intervention framing must consider the unique Chinese social and cultural context.
KW - Childhood obesity
KW - Focus group study
KW - Nutrition
KW - Physical activity
KW - School lunch
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U2 - 10.6133/apjcn.112016.01
DO - 10.6133/apjcn.112016.01
M3 - Article
C2 - 28802299
AN - SCOPUS:85029565764
SN - 0964-7058
VL - 26
SP - 888
EP - 898
JO - Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition
JF - Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition
IS - 5
ER -