Abstract
Previous research suggests a deleterious impact on dietary quality when people immigrate to the United States and that children influence immigrant parent’s decisions to serve traditional and/or non-traditional foods. Interviews (n = 75) were conducted with Hmong, Somali, and Latino parents of 5–7 year old children about the foods they serve to their children and how the child influences these food decisions. A racially/ethnically diverse team coded interviews using a mixed inductive/deductive approach. Most Latino and Somali parents reported serving mostly traditional foods at home. Regarding feeding decisions, parents reported: (1) allowing children non-traditional foods when requested; (2) “Americanizing” traditional foods; and (3) that children prefer traditional foods. Some Hmong parents reported serving their children non-traditional foods at meals while parents ate traditional foods. Results offer guidance to providers working with immigrant parents of young children regarding maintaining healthful diets when children request potentially unhealthy non-traditional foods.
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Acknowledgements
The Family Matters study was a team effort and could not have been accomplished without the dedicated staff who drove throughout the Twin Cities to connect with participants in their homes. For their hard work, the authors would like to thank: Awo Ahmed, Nimo Ahmed, Rodolfo Batres, Carlos Chavez, Mia Donley, Michelle Draxten, Sulekha Ibrahim, Walter Novillo, Alejandra Ochoa, Luis “Marty” Ortega, Anna Schulte, Hiba Sharif, Mai See Thao, Rebecca Tran, Bai Vue, and Serena Xiong.
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Research is supported by Grant Number R01HL126171 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (PI: Berge). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development or the National Institutes of Health.
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Trofholz, A., Richardson, K., Mohamed, N. et al. How a Racially/Ethnically Diverse and Immigrant Sample Qualitatively Describes the Role of Traditional and Non-traditional Foods in Feeding Their Children. J Immigrant Minority Health 22, 1155–1162 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-020-00999-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-020-00999-3