An explanatory framework of teachers' perceptions of a positive mealtime environment in a preschool setting.
Attending a preschool center may help preschoolers with growth and development that encourage a healthy lifestyle, including sound eating behaviors. Providing a positive mealtime environment (PME) may be one of the keys to fostering a child's healthy eating habits in the classroom. However, a specific definition of a PME, the components of a PME, or directions on how to create one have not been established. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to explore Head Start teachers' perceptions related to a PME and create a conceptual framework representing these perceptions. To achieve this purpose, researchers conducted 65 in-depth phone interviews with Head Start teachers around the US. Applying principles of grounded theory, researchers developed a conceptual framework depicting teachers' perceptions of PME, consisting of five key components: (1) the people (i.e., teachers, kitchen staff, parent volunteers, and children), (2) positive emotional tone (e.g., relaxed and happy), (3) rules, expectations, and routines (e.g., family-style mealtime), (4) operations of a PME (i.e., eating, socialization, and learning), and (5) both short- and long-term outcomes of a PME. With this PME framework, researchers may be able to enhance the effectiveness of nutrition interventions related to a PME, focusing on the factors in the conceptual framework as well as barriers associated with achieving these factors.
Department of Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
Satoko C
SC
Mita
Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
Samuel A
SA
Gray
Department of Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA. Electronic address: suzie_goodell@ncsu.edu.
L Suzanne
LS
Goodell
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018479:Early Intervention, Educational / Q000379:methods; D004777:Environment; D005178:Faculty; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D062407:Meals / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012574:Schools
Grounded theory; Healthy eating; Mealtime environment; Preschool teachers; Qualitative research