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Supporting healthy lifestyle behaviours in families attending community playgroups: parents' perceptions of facilitators and barriers.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Establishing healthy nutrition, activity, and sleep behaviours early in life is a key strategy in childhood obesity prevention. Parents are the primary influence on the development and establishment of obesity-related behaviours in young children. There is evidence that autonomy supporting parenting practices are crucial for the development of self-regulation and the internalisation of healthy behaviours in children. It is therefore imperative that parenting practices are targeted as part of an obesity prevention intervention. However, there is limited understanding of barriers and facilitators to parents using autonomy supporting parenting practices with their children aged 0-5?years. Therefore, the aim of the study was to identify barriers and facilitators to using autonomy supporting parenting practices. A secondary aim was to determine parent preferences in respect to an intervention program to be delivered in community playgroups. METHODS:Parents were recruited through Playgroup Queensland (PGQ), a not-for-profit organisation in Brisbane, Australia, to attend a focus group during their usual playgroup session. The focus group interview guide was designed to promote discussion among the participants in respect to their shared experiences as parents of young children. The focus group transcripts were coded and analysed using qualitative content analysis. Five focus groups with parents (n?=?30) were conducted in May 2018. Most of the participants were mothers [1], and the majority (76%) had a child at playgroup aged between 2 and 4?years. RESULTS:The support and guidance received from other parents at playgroup was a facilitator to autonomy supporting parenting practices. Barriers included beliefs around the need to use rewards to encourage child eating, beliefs around the need for screens as babysitters, and feeling disempowered to change sleep behaviours. Parents were enthusiastic about a potential program that would leverage off the existing playgroup support networks, but they did not want to be "educated", or to lose their "playgroup time" to an intervention. Rather they wanted strategies and support to deal with the frustrations of food, screen and sleep parenting. CONCLUSION:These results will be used to inform the development of a childhood obesity prevention intervention to be delivered in a community playgroup setting.

SUBMITTER: Fuller AB

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6935103 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Supporting healthy lifestyle behaviours in families attending community playgroups: parents' perceptions of facilitators and barriers.

Fuller Andrea B AB Byrne Rebecca A RA Golley Rebecca K RK Trost Stewart G SG

BMC public health 20191227 1

<h4>Background</h4>Establishing healthy nutrition, activity, and sleep behaviours early in life is a key strategy in childhood obesity prevention. Parents are the primary influence on the development and establishment of obesity-related behaviours in young children. There is evidence that autonomy supporting parenting practices are crucial for the development of self-regulation and the internalisation of healthy behaviours in children. It is therefore imperative that parenting practices are targ ...[more]

PMID: 31881955

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Project description:BACKGROUND: Nurses have an increased risk for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), along with a high prevalence of obesity, poor eating habits and insufficient physical activity. The aim of this study was to determine the health concerns, health priorities and barriers to living a healthy lifestyle among nurses and hospital management staff from public hospitals in the Western Cape Metropole, South Africa. METHODS: Participants were purposively sampled (n?=?103), and included management personnel (n?=?9), night shift (n?=?57) and day-shift nurses (n?=?36). Twelve focus groups (FGDs) were conducted with nursing staff to obtain insight into nurses' health concerns, lifestyle behaviours and worksite health promotion programmes (WHPPs). Seven key informant interviews (KII) were conducted with management personnel, to gain their perspective on health promotion in the worksite. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data with the assistance of Atlas.ti Qualitative Data Analysis Software. RESULTS: Night shift nurses frequently identified weight gain and living with NCDs such as hypertension as their main health concerns. Being overweight was perceived to have a negative impact on work performance. All nurses identified backache and exposure to tuberculosis (TB) as occupation-related health concerns, and both management and nurses frequently reported a stressful working environment. Nurses frequently mentioned lack of time to prepare healthy meals due to long working hours and being overtired from work. The hospital environment was perceived to have a negative influence on the nurses' lifestyle behaviours, including food service that offered predominantly unhealthy foods. The most commonly delivered WHPPs included independent counselling services, an online employee wellness programme offered by the Department of Health and wellness days in which clinical measures, such as blood glucose were measured. Nurses identified a preference for WHPPs that provided access to fitness facilities or support groups. CONCLUSIONS: Public hospitals are a stressful work environment and shift work places an additional strain on nurses. The risk of NCDs and exposure to infectious disease remains a concern in this working population. Our findings highlight the need for WHPPs that support nurses in managing stress and transforming the work environment to facilitate healthy lifestyles.

Project description:BackgroundThe first 2 years of a child's life have been found to be crucial to healthy growth and development. Parent support groups can help parents to promote health-related behaviours during this crucial period. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of parents who participated in a parent support group (Parent-Child Meetings) which promoted health-related behaviours of their children, and to determine whether and how these meetings supported them in promoting these behaviours.MethodsWe used a qualitative study design. The parent support group consisted of weekly Parent-Child Meetings organized in a multi-ethnic, relatively low-income neighbourhood in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Data on the experiences of parents was collected through participatory observations, informal conversations (n = 30 sessions) and semi-structured interviews (n = 13) between April 2019 and March 2020. The data was analysed using thematic content analysis.ResultsParents indicated that they experienced the parent-child meetings as enjoyable and as providing them with socio-emotional support. They reported that the meetings increased their parenting knowledge, skills and practices regarding healthy behaviours of their children and that they used this knowledge in their daily lives. They also appreciated the practical information and advice provided by experts in the meetings. Parents indicated that the positive attitude of the experts was crucial in accepting and adopting their advice. Additionally, parents valued the interactive and hands-on workshops, which integrated health-related behaviours and active play with children, as it enabled them to learn while they played with their children.ConclusionThis study indicated that parent-child meetings contributed to enhancing parental knowledge, skills and practices regarding healthy behaviours of their children. This could potentially benefit the health of children during the first 2 years of their lives. In particular, the peer support of other parents, the hands-on workshops, and the concrete advice and information provided in an informal setting were highly valued by parents. Future parent support groups could use these findings to improve their meetings or to start meetings that better suit the needs of parents with young children.

Project description:BackgroundWith an ageing population, there is an increasing societal impact of ill health in later life. People who adopt healthy behaviours are more likely to age successfully. To engage people in health promotion initiatives in mid-life, a good understanding is needed of why people do not undertake healthy behaviours or engage in unhealthy ones.MethodsSearches were conducted to identify systematic reviews and qualitative or longitudinal cohort studies that reported mid-life barriers and facilitators to healthy behaviours. Mid-life ranged from 40 to 64 years, but younger adults in disadvantaged or minority groups were also eligible to reflect potential earlier disease onset. Two reviewers independently conducted reference screening and study inclusion. Included studies were assessed for quality. Barriers and facilitators were identified and synthesised into broader themes to allow comparisons across behavioural risks.FindingsFrom 16,426 titles reviewed, 28 qualitative studies, 11 longitudinal cohort studies and 46 systematic reviews were included. Evidence was found relating to uptake and maintenance of physical activity, diet and eating behaviours, smoking, alcohol, eye care, and other health promoting behaviours and grouped into six themes: health and quality of life, sociocultural factors, the physical environment, access, psychological factors, evidence relating to health inequalities. Most of the available evidence was from developed countries. Barriers that recur across different health behaviours include lack of time (due to family, household and occupational responsibilities), access issues (to transport, facilities and resources), financial costs, entrenched attitudes and behaviours, restrictions in the physical environment, low socioeconomic status, lack of knowledge. Facilitators include a focus on enjoyment, health benefits including healthy ageing, social support, clear messages, and integration of behaviours into lifestyle. Specific issues relating to population and culture were identified relating to health inequalities.ConclusionsThe barriers and facilitators identified can inform the design of tailored interventions for people in mid-life.

Project description:ObjectivePrevalence of pediatric neurodevelopmental and mental health disorders (ND/MHD) is increasing in the United States and globally. ND/MHD are associated with higher risk of poor dietary, physical activity (PA), screen, and sleep habits in youth, contributing to elevated lifetime chronic disease risk. ND/MHD symptoms can present unique challenges to parenting, create competing parenting priorities, and may decrease parental capacity to instill healthy habits. Unfortunately, literature characterizing parenting of health habits in youth with ND/MHD is sparse. The objective of this study was to describe barriers to, facilitators of, and practical strategies for parenting healthy lifestyle habits in children and teens with ND/MHD.MethodsWe conducted semi-structured interviews with parents whose children with diagnosed ND/MHD were attending a Boston-area therapeutic day school serving K-10th grade. Interviews allowed parents to focus on parenting PA, diet, sleep, and/or screen habits as context for questions. Interviews were transcribed, double-coded using constant comparative methods, and summarized into themes using NVivo 11.ResultsWe interviewed 24 parents; average age of their child with ND/MHD was 11.2 years (range: 8-15). Most had a son (75%) with multiple ND/MHD (88%); diagnoses included autism spectrum disorder (50%), attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (67%), anxiety (67%), and other mood disorders (58%). Major barriers to parenting all types of health habits included depleted parent resources, child dysregulation, lack of supportive programming available to children with ND/MHD, and medication side effects. Major facilitators included participation in specialized therapeutic options, adaptive community programs and schools, as well as parents' social capital. Effective parenting strategies included setting clear, often structural boundaries, using positive reinforcement, allowing agency by presenting healthy choices, and use of role modeling to promote healthy habits. Almost one third of parents extensively discussed the role of pets or therapy animals as key to establishing and maintaining healthy routines, particularly PA and screen-time management.ConclusionsParenting healthy habits in children with ND/MHD is difficult and is undermined by competing demands on parenting resources. To reduce chronic disease disparities and promote health in this population, future research must better adapt existing health promotion materials and programs to more practically support parents in multiple settings including home, schools and community organizations.

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Supporting healthy lifestyle behaviours in families attending community playgroups: parents' perceptions of facilitators and barriers.

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Supporting healthy lifestyle behaviours in families attending community playgroups: parents' perceptions of facilitators and barriers.

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