Perspectives of Black and Hispanic children living in under-resourced communities on meal preparation and grocery shopping behaviors: Implications for nutrition education

Authors: CALLENDER, CHISHINGA - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC); VELAZQUEZ, DENISSE - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC); ADERA, MEHERET - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC); DAVE, JAYNA - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC); OLVERA, NORMA - University Of Houston; CHEN, TZUAN - University Of Houston; ALFORD, SHANA - Common Threads; Thompson, Deborah - Debbe

Submitted to: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/19/2021
Publication Date: 11/20/2021
Citation: Callender, C., Velazquez, D., Adera, M., Dave, J.M., Olvera, N., Chen, T.A., Alford, S., Thompson, D.J. 2021. Perspectives of Black and Hispanic children living in under-resourced communities on meal preparation and grocery shopping behaviors: Implications for nutrition education. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 18(22). Article 12199. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182212199.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182212199

Interpretive Summary: Minority children living in under-resourced communities are at the greatest risk for obesity and poor diet quality. Child involvement in home meal preparation may be a helpful strategy to improve diet quality in this population. We explore the perspectives of Black and Hispanic children regarding meal preparation and grocery shopping behaviors and reports quantitative and qualitative findings. Children participated in a mixed methods study (online surveys, telephone interviews). Descriptive statistics were calculated for child demographic and psychosocial factors. Thematic analysis was used to code and analyze the interviews. The majority of children shared a simple definition of cooking and noted the importance of learning to cook with an emphasis on life skills. Children also shared their level of involvement (i.e., simple, active preparation) in cooking and grocery shopping. Most children reported using technology when cooking to find food demonstration videos and recipes. These findings highlight that minority children living in under-resourced communities participate in meal preparation and grocery shopping. Their perspectives are important for the development of future nutrition and cooking education programs to achieve equitable dietary outcomes in minority children and families living in under-resourced communities.

Technical Abstract: Minority children living in under-resourced communities are at the greatest risk for obesity and poor diet quality. Child involvement in meal preparation may be a helpful strategy to improve diet quality. This paper explores minority children's perspectives regarding this. Eighteen children participated in a mixed methods study (online surveys, telephone interviews). Descriptive statistics were calculated for child demographic and psychosocial factors. Thematic analysis was used to code and analyze the interviews. Most children reported having cooking experience (83%) and cooking with family (94%) and exhibited high cooking self-efficacy (21.8 +/- 2.9) and positive cooking attitudes (25.7 +/- 4.4). Children reported helping with meal preparation (50%) and grocery shopping (41%) sometimes. The qualitative data further supported the results obtained from the children’s psychosocial factors. Most children noted the importance of learning to cook with an emphasis on life skills. Children also shared their level of involvement in cooking and grocery shopping. Most children reported using technology when cooking to find demonstration videos and recipes. These findings highlight that minority children participate in meal preparation and grocery shopping. Their perspectives are important for the development of nutrition education programs to achieve equitable dietary outcomes in minority families living in under-resourced communities