Central American parents' preferences for the development of a home-based intervention to promote healthful energy balance-related behaviors in their preschool-age children
Oral Presentation C11.8
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14288/hfjc.v14i3.717Keywords:
Central American, Immigrant, Preschool, Children, Parents, Physical Activity, SleepAbstract
Background: Latinx children are disproportionally affected by overweight and obesity. Parents play a central role on children’s development of early healthy behaviors that ultimately impact weight status. To date the majority of available childhood obesity prevention research in the United States (US) among Latinx has focused on Mexican Americans and Mexican immigrants. Central Americans from the northern triangle countries (Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras) represent a growing population in the US and there is a lack of research focused on Central American children. Purpose: To assess Central American parents’ perceptions of importance, interest, and preferences (content and delivery) for the development of a home-based intervention designed to promote healthful energy balance-related behaviors (EBRBs) in their preschool-age children. Methods: Cross-sectional survey. Results: Seventy-four Central American parents, majority immigrants (59.5%) and low acculturation level (60.8%) participated. Approximately half were fathers (51.5%), and parents' mean age was 31.6 years. The majority was married (81.1%), low-educational level (< high school; 63.5%). Approximately 44% of mothers and 21% of fathers self-reported being overweight. Overall, parents perceived being physically active (PA), achieving healthy sleep (10 hours/night), and reducing consumption of unhealthy foods as the top three most important EBRBs. Moreover, all parents reported being very interested in participating in interventions designed to address these behaviors. The majority of fathers reported preference for remote delivery – text or SMS, WhatsApp, and e-mail as top choices, whereas most mothers preferred both remote delivery – text or SMS and e-mail, and in-person, interactive intervention modalities – group sessions delivered by peer-parents and community health workers (aka "promotoras"). Conclusions: Findings have implications for the design of culturally sensitive interventions designed to promote early EBRBs tailored to meet the specific needs of Central American families in the US. Funding: Research was supported in part by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institute of Health under award number R25HD090723-02 (Student: Elizabeth N. Diaz; Mentor: Ana Cristina Lindsay) and the Beacon Student Success Fellowship, University of Massachusetts Boston (Student: Joanna A. Pineda; Mentor: Ana Cristina Lindsay).
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Copyright (c) 2021 Elizabeth N. Diaz, Joanna A. Pineda, Qun Le, Ana C. Lindsay
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