Abstract
China's internal migration has left 61 million rural children living apart from parents and usually being cared for by grandparents. This study aims to explore caregivers' beliefs about healthy eating for left-behind children (LBC) in rural China. Twenty-six children aged 6–12 (21 LBC and 5 non-LBC) and 32 caregivers (21 grandparents, 9 mothers, and 2 uncles/aunts) were recruited in one township in rural China. Children were encouraged to keep food diaries followed by in-depth interviews with caregivers. Distinct intergenerational differences in beliefs about healthy eating emerged: the grandparent generation was concerned about not having enough food and tended to emphasise the importance of starchy foods for children's growth, due to their past experiences during the Great Famine. On the other hand, the parent generation was concerned about food safety and paid more attention to protein-source foods including meat, eggs and milk. Parents appeared to offer children high-energy food, which was viewed as a sign of economic status, rather than as part of a balanced diet. Lack of remittances from migrant parents may compromise LBC's food choices. These findings suggest the potential for LBC left in the care of grandparents, especially with experience of the Great Famine, may be at greater risk of malnutrition than children cared for by parents. By gaining an in-depth understanding of intergenerational differences in healthy eating beliefs for children, our findings could inform for the development of nutrition-related policies and interventions for LBC in rural China.
Highlights
Eating habits developed during childhood can persist into adolescence and adulthood, influencing individual growth, development, and health in later life (Centres for Diseases Control and Prevention, 1997; Nicklas & Johnson, 2004)
The aim of the present study was to explore caregivers' beliefs about healthy eating for leftbehind children (LBC) in rural China
The aim of this study was to explore caregivers' beliefs about healthy eating for LBC in rural China
Summary
Eating habits developed during childhood can persist into adolescence and adulthood, influencing individual growth, development, and health in later life (Centres for Diseases Control and Prevention, 1997; Nicklas & Johnson, 2004) Their eating decisions are often made within the family context, which is the most influential aspect of the immediate social context (Jiang et al, 2007; Nicklas, 1995; Taylor, Evers, & McKenna, 2005). Zhang et al / Appetite 95 (2015) 484e491 grandparents were more likely to develop unhealthy food preferences (e.g., preference for fast food, salted snack food and sugared drinks, and less liking for vegetables and fruits) compared to those living in nuclear families (Deng, 2011) These intergenerational differences in forming eating habits may be due to differences in generations across a range of socio-economic variables, for example, educational attainment, economic status and early life experiences involving food (Jing, 2000; Taylor et al, 2005)
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