Understanding How Latino Parents Choose Beverages to Serve to Infants and Toddlers

• Published in: Maternal and child health journal Vol. 18; no. 6; pp. 1308 - 1315
• Main Authors: Beck, Amy L., Takayama, John I., Halpern-Felsher, Bonnie, Badiner, Nora, C. Barker, Judith
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.08.2014; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Animals; Beverages; California; Carbonated Beverages; Care and treatment; Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Child, Preschool; Children & youth; Childrens health; Counseling; Dental caries; Female; Food and nutrition; Food Preferences - ethnology; Food Preferences - psychology; Fruit juices; Gynecology; Health disparities; Health facilities; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Hispanic American children; Hispanic Americans - psychology; Humans; Infant; Infants; Information sources; Interviews; Interviews as Topic; Male; Maternal and Child Health; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Milk; Obesity; Parents & parenting; Parents - psychology; Pediatrics; Population Economics; Public Health; Qualitative research; Sociology; Sugar; Toddlers; Water; California; United States; Los Angeles California; San Francisco California; United States > US; Dental caries; Sugar-sweetened beverages; 100 % fruit juice; Childhood obesity; Health disparities
• ISSN: 1092-7875; 1573-6628
• DOI: 10.1007/s10995-013-1364-0

To determine Latino parents’ beliefs on the health effects of beverages on infants and toddlers, their sources of information on beverages and perceived barriers to following guidelines for healthy beverage consumption by children. We conducted 29 interviews with parents of Latino children ages 6–36 months. Parents were recruited in three community health centers in Northern California. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed using standard qualitative methods. The following dominant themes emerged. Parents believed that water and milk were healthy beverages for children and that sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) were unhealthy. Views on 100 % fruit juice were mixed. Parents distinguished between homemade beverages such as “agua fresca” which they considered healthy, despite containing added sugar, and beverages from stores which were viewed as unhealthy. Participants’ main source of information on beverages was the federal nutrition program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Parents were confused, however, as to why WIC provides juice yet counseled parents to avoid giving their children juice. Parents preferred to receive information on beverages from experts. Differing practices among family members regarding which beverages they provide to children was the most important barrier to following beverage guidelines. Our study suggests that Latino parents are receptive to counseling on beverages from expert sources. Such counseling should address both store-bought and homemade beverages. The WIC program is a key source of information on beverages for Latino parents; thus counseling offered by WIC should be evidence-based and avoid mixed messages.