A qualitative study of public health nurses' perspectives and experiences on nutritional guidance for parents of infants and toddlers

Abstract

In Norway, public health nurses (PHNs) are responsible for giving parents nutritional knowledge, but limited research describes how they perceive this task. This study explores PHNs' perceptions and experiences on nutritional guidance for parents of infants and toddlers. Semistructured interviews with six PHNs were conducted and transcribed verbatim. Data were subjected to thematic analysis. Five main themes were identified: (1) Dietary guidance for parents is central to the work; (2) PHNs perceive they have parents' trust, and parents are in general open to nutrition counselling; (3) food and meals must be seen in light of the family context; (4) The dialogue must be adapted to the individual family; and (5) PHNs have expertise on nutrition; however, updating knowledge is difficult. Nutritional guidance was perceived by PHNs as a core activity. They felt that they had parents' trust, and that parents were particularly open to nutritional guidance during the first 2 years. Counselling was generally well received, but conversations on overweight were perceived as difficult. PHNs strove to tailor their guidance to individual needs. However, providing guidance on a wide range of issues in different families and cultures could be challenging. They acknowledged a need for updating knowledge but the offer of courses was sparse. Our findings suggest a discrepancy between how nutrition is prioritized in the education of PHNs and what they encounter in clinical practice. In the future, this should be given more attention given the PHNs' unique position to promote healthy eating and long‐term health.

Scaling up evidence-based digital early life nutrition interventions in a county setting: an implementation trial – protocol for Phase 2 of the Nutrition Now project

“…In Norway, municipalities and counties are responsible for providing sound public health advice on diet and nutrition ( 15 ), however several municipalities do not have the workforce or the time to do so. According to our previous findings ( 16–18 ), maternal and child healthcare (MCH) nurses and midwives, who engage with over 95% of parents ( 19 ), report that providing guidance to parents on child diet and nutritional issues is part of their daily routine ( 20 ). They also report that they lack formal training in this area and thus often rely on their own experience ( 20 ), in addition to utilising information provided by national authorities, to guide parents.…”

“…According to our previous findings ( 16–18 ), maternal and child healthcare (MCH) nurses and midwives, who engage with over 95% of parents ( 19 ), report that providing guidance to parents on child diet and nutritional issues is part of their daily routine ( 20 ). They also report that they lack formal training in this area and thus often rely on their own experience ( 20 ), in addition to utilising information provided by national authorities, to guide parents. Swedish researchers have described similar findings, and state that MCH are in a key position to provide guidance, but often lack resources and time ( 21 ).…”

Nutrition in a lifecourse perspective: From molecular aspects to public health approaches

“…Since its establishment in 2018, the Priority Research Centre for Lifecourse Nutrition at the University of Agder has been committed to understand and improve diet and health relations from a lifecourse perspective. Devoting this Special Issue to current advancements in the subdiscipline of lifecourse nutrition in our Centre (Bjørkkjaer et al, 2023;Helle et al, 2023;Ostojic et al, 2023;Valen et al, 2023) but also across the global research arena (Flor-Alemany et al, 2023;Mai et al, 2023;Shinsugi & Takimoto, 2023;Thorisdottir et al, 2023) could potentially pave the path towards enhancing health outcomes for both present and future generations. This Special Issue covers a variety of topics related to nutrition from a lifecourse perspective, addressing diet in sensitive periods (preconception, pregnancy and infancy/toddlerhood), and spanning from molecular nutrition to food environments and settings and gatekeepers of diet in these sensitive periods.…”

“…The importance of diet in the preconception years has increasingly been acknowledged the last 10 years. Ostojic et al (2023) Helle et al, 2023;Thorisdottir et al, 2023). As commented in the Global Nutrition Report (2020), there is also a call for nutrition equity sensitive policies.…”

“…Since its establishment in 2018, the Priority Research Centre for Lifecourse Nutrition at the University of Agder has been committed to understand and improve diet and health relations from a lifecourse perspective. Devoting this Special Issue to current advancements in the subdiscipline of lifecourse nutrition in our Centre (Bjørkkjaer et al, 2023 ; Helle et al, 2023 ; Ostojic et al, 2023 ; Valen et al, 2023 ) but also across the global research arena (Flor‐Alemany et al, 2023 ; Mai et al, 2023 ; Shinsugi & Takimoto, 2023 ; Thorisdottir et al, 2023 ) could potentially pave the path towards enhancing health outcomes for both present and future generations.…”