An Exploration of How Mexican American WIC Mothers Obtain Information About Behaviors Associated With Childhood Obesity Risk

Abstract

ObjectiveTo explore how a sample of Mexican American mothers with preschool-aged children recruited from a Midwestern Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) clinic obtained information about 4 behaviors associated with childhood obesity risk: eating, physical activity, screen time, and sleep. DesignOne-on-one structured interviews in which participants were asked how they communicated with family, learned to take care of their first infant, and obtained information about the 4 targeted behaviors for their preschool-aged child. SettingAn urban WIC clinic in the Midwest. ParticipantsForty Mexican-descent mothers enrolled in WIC with children aged 3–4 years. Phenomenon of InterestExposure to information about the 4 targeted behaviors among Mexican-descent mothers participating in WIC. AnalysisQuantitative and qualitative data were used to characterize and compare across participants. ResultsParticipants primarily obtained information from their child's maternal grandmother during their first child's infancy and from health professionals for their preschool-aged child. Participants typically obtained information through interpersonal communication, television, and magazines. Participants were most interested in healthy eating information and least interested in screen time information. Some participants did not seek information. Conclusions and ImplicationsParticipants engaged in different patterns of information seeking across their child's development and the 4 behaviors, which suggests that future research should be behaviorally specific. Findings from this study suggest several hypotheses to test in future research.