Abstract
BackgroundMany complex and subtle aspects relating to mothers and food choice are not well understood. Mothers play a primary role in their children's food choices, but research has not specifically examined how matrilineal family members who do not reside in the same household, such as a mother's mother, aunt, or grandmother, influence the current family's food choices.MethodsSeven participants were recruited from the Household Food Inventory (HFI) Study in the Bryan/College Station, Texas. All participants completed an in-depth interview, photographed food-related activities, and discussed photographs in a follow-up in-depth interview. Interviews were transcribed verbatim from audio recordings. Transcripts were analyzed using several qualitative approaches including grounded theory to identify themes and subthemes.ResultsParticipants discussed the following themes relating to the influence of their mother or other female relation (Mom) on their families' food choices: Relationship with Mom, Just like Mom, 'Kinda' like Mom, Different than Mom, and Mom's Influence on Children's Food Choices. Overall, participants used the photographs to illustrate how they were similar or different to their mothers, or other female family member, as well as how their mothers either supported or undermined control over their children's food choices. The "Mom effect" or matrilineal influence of mothers, aunts, and grandmothers on a mother's food choices was omnipresent, even though Mom was no longer living with the participants.ConclusionsWe found a matrilineal influence to have a residual and persistent influence on a family's food choices. This finding may be helpful for understanding the contextual elements of food choice and explaining why it is sometimes difficult to change mothers' food habits.
Highlights
Many complex and subtle aspects relating to mothers and food choice are not well understood
Mothers consider the needs of their family and other constraints, such as time and cost, as they make daily decisions related to planning meals, shopping for food, and preparing meals [6,7]
Participants The study included seven mothers who were recruited from the 2008 Brazos Valley Household Food Inventory (HFI) study
Summary
Many complex and subtle aspects relating to mothers and food choice are not well understood. Many complex and subtle aspects of mothers' influences on food choice are not well understood [5]. Mothers consider the needs of their family (e.g. children, partner, and extended family members) and other constraints, such as time and cost, as they make daily decisions related to planning meals, shopping for food, and preparing meals [6,7]. These decisions can affect a child's present and future food choices. Contradictory findings showed mothers made less healthy food choices for their children than they did for themselves, but research indicated health was the most important factor when mothers were choosing foods for their children [14]
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