Abstract
BackgroundRates of obesity among children ages zero to five are rapidly increasing. Greater efforts are needed to promote healthy behaviors of young children. Mothers are especially important targets for promoting health as mothers’ views play a vital role in helping their children foster healthy habits from an early age. Research has found parents’ views of infants’ weight may influence their feeding practices; however, limited research has explored mothers’ view of infants’ weight in relation to the promotion of physical activity. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of mothers of normal weight infants and overweight infants about their infant’s weight and physical activity.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with mothers of normal weight (n = 18) and of overweight (n = 11) infants (6.5 ± 0.5 month) in a Midwestern city in the United States. A thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.ResultsA majority of mothers thought infants could be overweight. However, no mothers referenced their own infant as overweight. Mothers most commonly noted infants could be overweight only if they were formula fed and/or were overfed, not if they were breastfed. Mothers views were not negatively influenced by others who mentioned that their child was either “big” or “small” and only one mother had been told her infant was overweight. A majority of mothers thought an infant could be physically active. When discussing infant activity, mothers primarily referred to it in terms of general mobility and a few thought activity level was related to a personality characteristic. Mothers intended to promote physical activity in the future either through outdoor play or specific organized activities such as sports. Despite a majority of mothers stating they were currently physically active themselves, only a few talked about interacting with their infant to promote their infant’s physical activity.ConclusionsEfforts are needed by healthcare professionals and other public health professionals to inform mothers about the dangers of increased weight during infancy as well as the importance of interacting with infants to promote physical activity.
Highlights
Rates of obesity among children ages zero to five are rapidly increasing
The results are organized into two primary themes: perceptions of infant weight and perceptions of physical activity
I suppose a formula fed baby could be overfed if that parent, or care provider was constantly using that as the only tool to use to calm, to meet their needs...but I don’t think that it’s possible with a breastfed baby”
Summary
Rates of obesity among children ages zero to five are rapidly increasing. Greater efforts are needed to promote healthy behaviors of young children. Rates of obesity among children ages zero to five have increased dramatically all over the world [1] This is concerning as the first year of a child’s life can make a significant impact on his/her long-term health [2]. Research studies have found cardiometabolic risk factors and development of atherosclerosis in obese preschoolers, once thought to only present in adulthood [5, 6]. In addition to these concerning findings, being obese as a child increases one’s risk of adult obesity, which is associated with a variety of chronic health conditions. The obesity epidemic has had severe economic impact for countries all over the world
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