Abstract
To explore New Jersey's Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) participants’ misconceptions about child feeding practices that might lead to obesity. Semi-structured, open-ended interviews were conducted with nutrition educators (nutritionists and breastfeeding counselors) at 9 NJ WIC agencies. Researchers asked staff, “What misconceptions do you think that mothers and caregivers have about child feeding and obesity.” Data were coded using computer assisted qualitative data analysis software (NVIVO). Themes, grounded both empirically and conceptually, emerged. Seven themes regarding misconception about child feeding practices emerged from the data. These included: a fat baby is a healthy baby; the baby is big because of genetics; cereal in the bottle helps the child sleep; a crying baby is a hungry baby; breast milk is not enough; juice is good for babies and children; and children need to drink a lot of milk. Future nutrition education delivered to NJ WIC participants should offer content that considers invalid beliefs. Also, these findings should be replicated and explored in other locations.
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