Grandmothers’ Involvement in Preschool-Aged Children’s Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables

Abstract

A social-ecological framework suggests that nutrition education programs designed to increase young children's fruit and vegetable consumption should address the influence of immediate and extended family. However, very few nutrition education programs recognize the importance of grandmothers in shaping preschoolaged children's consumption patterns. This study explored the impact of grandmothers on their grandchildren's fruit and vegetable consumption. Specifically, the authors addressed 3 research questions: (1) Are grandmothers involved in purchasing food for or feeding their preschool-aged grandchildren? (2) What resources do mothers and grandmothers have to purchase fruits and vegetables, and do these resources allow them to purchase a healthy amount of fruits and vegetables? (3) Do mothers and grandmothers consume fruits and vegetables and understand their importance? Using a sample of 62 low-income mothers and grandmothers from ruralMaryland, the authors found evidence that grandmothers shaped their grandchildren's fruit and vegetable consumption by purchasing and providing food for their daughters and grandchildren. However, grandmothers also reported consuming less than the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables, which suggests they may negatively affect their grandchildren's fruit and vegetable consumption. Implications for future research and programming are discussed.

"I'm the Momma": Using photo-elicitation to understand matrilineal influence on family food choice

“…mother, aunt, grandmother) indirectly influenced the participant by having her food and eating habits remain with participant, mainly as result of upbringing, and 2) Mom directly influenced the participant through interactions with the participant's children, her grandchildren. This study reinforces the findings of the literature on intergenerational influences, which indicates a grandmother may influence her grandchildren's food choices in the following ways: by advising the mother on child feeding; providing foods for her grandchildren; and undermining mother's control of her children's food choices [6,22,41]. This analysis provides additional refinement for understanding intergenerational influences on food choice, and specifically how a grandmother may affect her grandchildren's food choices.…”

Influence of grandparents on the dietary intake of their 2–12‐year‐old grandchildren: A systematic review

“…A total of 483 studies were identified through the search strategy, with 83 full‐text articles retrieved, of which 16 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review (Figure ) …”

A question of balance: Explaining differences between parental and grandparental perspectives on preschoolers' feeding and physical activity

“…For example, a UK-based study found that grandmothers provided a generally healthy selection of foods to their young grandchildren; however, they were more likely than the children's parents to use feeding practices considered maladaptive, such as regulating the children's emotions through the provision of food (Farrow, 2014), a practice that has been linked to eating without feeling hunger (Baughcum et al, 1998; Blissett et al, 2010). In contrast, a study among US families found that although mothers and grandmothers similarly endorsed feeding fruits and vegetables to young children, compared to the grandmothers, the mothers consumed fewer vegetable servings per day, and were less likely to serve fruits for dinner (Speirs et al, 2009). Adding to the complexity of this landscape, other studies found that those grandparents who spend more time caring for their grandchildren endorse parental feeding practices (Farrow, 2014).…”

“…To date, however, the results have been complex, and at times contradictory (Farrow, 2014; Pulgarón et al, 2013; Speirs et al, 2009). For example, a UK-based study found that grandmothers provided a generally healthy selection of foods to their young grandchildren; however, they were more likely than the children's parents to use feeding practices considered maladaptive, such as regulating the children's emotions through the provision of food (Farrow, 2014), a practice that has been linked to eating without feeling hunger (Baughcum et al, 1998; Blissett et al, 2010).…”