Head Start teachers' perceptions of children's eating behavior and weight status in the context of food scarcity.
OBJECTIVE
To describe Head Start teachers' perceptions of mealtime, feeding, and overweight risk in Head Start students.


METHODS
Qualitative focus group study.


METHODS
Five Head Starts in a greater metropolitan area in the Northeast.


METHODS
Thirty-five teachers in 5 focus groups.


METHODS
Two experienced focus group facilitators elicited comments from each group.


METHODS
Identification of themes for future nutrition education programming.


METHODS
Participant comments were transcribed and common themes identified by 7 readers.


RESULTS
Teachers felt (1) empowered to shape the content of children's diets; (2) that meals served at Head Start were chaotic; (3) uncertain how to address children's voracious appetites, since children often were from homes with limited food resources; (4) skeptical about the definition of overweight; (5) that children's eating behaviors and their weight status were not connected; and (6) uncomfortable addressing overweight with students' families.


CONCLUSIONS
Teachers' skepticism about overweight, uncertainty around managing the seemingly voracious eating behavior of children perceived as hungry as a result of inadequate food at home, and discomfort in addressing overweight with families may all represent nutrition education opportunities. Tailoring prevention programs such that they evoke support and agreement from these teachers as well as harnessing strengths, such as teachers' confidence in shaping children's eating behaviors, will be important.
Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-0406, USA. jlumeng@umich.edu
Julie C
JC
Lumeng
Margot
M
Kaplan-Sanoff
Steve
S
Shuman
Srimathi
S
Kannan
D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000502:physiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018479:Early Intervention, Educational; D002149:Energy Intake / Q000502:physiology*; D005178:Faculty; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D050177:Overweight / Q000517:prevention & control; D010465:Perception; D014481:United States