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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Sarah Neal, MSN, RN, BSW, School of Nursing, Anderson University, 1100 E. 5th St., Anderson, IN 46012, 765-641-4386, smneal@anderson.edu

The purpose of this presentation is to examine the factors associated with the perceptions of low-income Hispanic mothers about how they determine when their child is overweight, why the child becomes overweight, and related child-feeding practices. Overweight in the pediatric population is a growing public health crisis in the United States. A disproportionate number of Hispanic children are affected by obesity, and the consequences are felt in physical, emotional, social, and monetary terms. For this study, 9 Hispanic mothers of children aged 6 to 19 years participated in a focus group held in an urban Indianapolis clinic. Participants completed self-administered questionnaires written in Spanish, which included questions related to perceptions of overweight in children and child-feeding practices. Mothers were asked to select the children they felt were overweight on a pictorial instrument that showed a range of children (7 girls and 7 boys) of differing body sizes from very thin to very overweight. Results revealed that mothers may not be detecting overweight in their children until the weight problem is advanced, and that there may be more acceptance for heavier weights in children than is seen in other cultural groups. It was also found that length of residence in the U.S. and the community environment impact weight status. Finally, the use of growth charts by providers is ineffective when conveying weight status in children, and would be better substituted by advice on how to deal with the emotional stress encountered when feeding multiple children with varying nutritional needs.

Learning Objectives: