[Parent's social representations of preschool childrens' weight and lifestyle].
BACKGROUND
For preschool children aged four-five years, parents play a key role in the adoption of a healthy lifestyle. Social representations is central to understanding the choice of health behaviours promoted by the parent in their child's life.


OBJECTIVE
To describe the social representations of parents with respect to the weight and lifestyle of children aged four to five.


METHODS
In their descriptive qualitative study, two semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 14 parents who had either normal weight or (overweight or obese) children aged four to five until data saturation was achieved. The collected data was analyzed using inductive analysis.


RESULTS
Some parents view weight as a health issue while others consider a chubby appearance as normal for child aged four to five. All participating parents view lifestyle as a demanding challenge.


CONCLUSIONS
The results provide guidance for developing healthy lifestyle strategies that are consistent with parental obligations.
Université de Sherbrooke. lucie.lemelin@uqo.ca
Lucie
L
Lemelin
Frances
F
Gallagher
Jeannie
J
Haggerty
D001294:Attitude to Health; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*