Abstract
The first two years of a child’s life are a critical period in preventing several lifestyle-related health problems. A qualitative study was conducted to explore parental experiences and perspectives in relation to lifestyle-related child-rearing practices in order to minimize risk factors at an early stage. Data were collected through interviews (n = 25) and focus groups (n = 4) with parents of children aged 0–2 years, in a disadvantaged neighborhood in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Results showed that parents were often uncertain about a number of lifestyle-related practices. Ambiguity also appeared regarding the parents’ intentions to engage in certain practices and what they were able to achieve in everyday life. In addition, parents experienced strong sociocultural influences from their family, which interfered with their ability to make their own decisions on lifestyle-related practices. Parents also expressed a need for peer-support and confirmation of their practices. Future studies should focus on supporting parents in their parental practices during the first two years of their child’s life. Any such study should take into account the specific sociocultural context accompanying lifestyle-related parental practices.
Highlights
The first two years of a child’s life are a crucial period, during which the foundations for a healthy growth and development are established [1,2]
There is clear evidence that these lifestyle-related problems are largely caused by unhealthy dietary behaviors, low levels of physical activity, high levels of screen time, and inadequate sleep among children [7,8,9], and it is known that these unhealthy lifestyle behaviors are more prevalent among children of families with a lower socioeconomic position (SEP) and certain disadvantaged ethnic groups [10,11,12,13]
Parents experience a strong sociocultural influence from their family, impeding their ability to make their own decisions with regard to lifestyle-related practices
Summary
The first two years of a child’s life are a crucial period, during which the foundations for a healthy growth and development are established [1,2]. Several studies have indicated that this period is essential in the prevention of lifestyle-related health problems later in life, such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes [3,4,5,6]. There is clear evidence that these lifestyle-related problems are largely caused by unhealthy dietary behaviors, low levels of physical activity, high levels of screen time, and inadequate sleep among children [7,8,9], and it is known that these unhealthy lifestyle behaviors are more prevalent among children of families with a lower socioeconomic position (SEP) and certain disadvantaged ethnic groups [10,11,12,13]. Public Health 2020, 17, 5838; doi:10.3390/ijerph17165838 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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