Parental Perspectives and Experiences in Relation to Lifestyle-Related Practices in the First Two Years of a Child’s Life: A Qualitative Study in a Disadvantaged Neighborhood in The Netherlands

Abstract

The first two years of a child’s life are a critical period in preventing several lifestyle-related health problems. A qualitative study was conducted to explore parental experiences and perspectives in relation to lifestyle-related child-rearing practices in order to minimize risk factors at an early stage. Data were collected through interviews (n = 25) and focus groups (n = 4) with parents of children aged 0–2 years, in a disadvantaged neighborhood in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Results showed that parents were often uncertain about a number of lifestyle-related practices. Ambiguity also appeared regarding the parents’ intentions to engage in certain practices and what they were able to achieve in everyday life. In addition, parents experienced strong sociocultural influences from their family, which interfered with their ability to make their own decisions on lifestyle-related practices. Parents also expressed a need for peer-support and confirmation of their practices. Future studies should focus on supporting parents in their parental practices during the first two years of their child’s life. Any such study should take into account the specific sociocultural context accompanying lifestyle-related parental practices.

Supporting parents and healthy behaviours through parent-child meetings – a qualitative study in the Netherlands

“…In April 2019, weekly parent-child meetings were initiated and organized in collaboration with a ‘city farm’ located in the neighbourhood. The content and the structure of the meetings were designed in close collaboration with parents who had participated in our previous explorative study [ 21 ]. The aim of these meetings was to organize activities to promote health-related behaviours during the first 2 years of the children’s lives, through social interaction, practice and observational learning in a safe and informal setting.…”

“…However, several studies have shown that parents of young children are uncertain or lack knowledge about a healthy diet, daily physical activity, adequate sleep, and limited screen time for their children, and that they experience problems or are unable to facilitate a healthy environment for their child [ 21 – 25 ]. Moreover, the transition to parenthood is a major adjustment period and is known to be a time where the need for support is increased, since it comes with profound life changes and considerable stress [ 26 – 28 ].…”

“…Many parents thus appreciate support from family members or their social network in acquiring parenting skills [ 26 , 29 ]. Additionally, parents appear to have a desire to meet other parents (peers) to learn from each other and receive peer support, and to gain information and practical tips regarding parenting through real-life experiences [ 21 ].…”

“…In addition, several studies have shown that parental engagement and strong collaboration between parents and (health) professionals are important factors for successful health promotion programs for parents and their children [ 35 , 40 – 43 ]. However, there are still limited studies of successful parenting programs in which facilitators and parents worked in partnership to promote healthy behaviour in children during the earliest life stages, and gaps remain in our knowledge of the results of parenting programmes which are developed in active collaboration with parents, particularly in multi-ethnic lower socioeconomic communities [ 21 , 41 , 43 ].…”

Parents' perception of their children's weight status in an urban area of Western Greece

“…This can happen either because of the fear of stigmatizing the child or because of the increase in the proportion of overweight children which can create a perception of excess as “normal”. [ 19 20 21 ] Another reason for this parental misconception is probably their reluctance to admit the problem, mainly because their children's diet is unhealthy. [ 22 23 ] Moreover, the daily parent and child interaction is often responsible for this misconception, as weight gain, especially if it is acute, may not be easily perceived.…”