Water, juice, or soda? Mothers and grandmothers of preschoolers discuss the acceptability and accessibility of beverages

Abstract

Intake of sugary beverages is strongly associated with weight gain and obesity among children; however, differences between mothers' and grandmothers' attitudes and practices concerning young children's beverage consumption remain unclear. This is notable since about a quarter of families in the US and the UK rely on grandparents as the main providers of informal childcare. The aim of this study is to examine mothers' and maternal grandmothers' attitudes, knowledge, and practices regarding preschool aged children's beverage consumption. The analysis focuses on identifying intergenerational similarities and differences, given the potential impact that such differences might have on young children's beverage consumption habits. Twenty-two semi-structured interviews, representing eleven families, were analyzed using thematic analysis. The sample included all mother – maternal grandmother dyads from The Grandparents Study, which took place in Eugene, Oregon, USA. More than half of mothers and grandmothers met overweight/obesity criteria. Among the children (mean age 4.7 years; five girls and six boys), seven met overweight/obesity criteria. Most mothers and grandmothers were unemployed, and most reported an annual household income below 30,000 USD. The analysis identified three thematic categories: 1) mothers and grandmothers agree about the hierarchy of healthiness between and within beverages, though juice occupies an ambivalent position; 2) mothers and grandmothers cite role modeling and the home environment as important in regulating preschoolers' beverage intake; 3) mothers and grandmothers balance between restricting sugary beverages and using these beverages as treats. The results suggest that when mothers and grandmothers use soda, juice, and juice-drinks as treats, they do so within a wider dynamic of balancing practices, and within two intersecting domains: the hierarchy of beverages, including the still ambivalent status of juice as healthy or unhealthy, and the definition of ‘special occasion’.