title: Teacher Perceptions of Multilevel Policies and the Influence on Nutrition Education in North Carolina Head Start Preschools.
abstract: To develop a theory that explains the process of how teachers' perception of multilevel policies may influence nutrition education (NE) teaching strategies in Head Start preschools.
  
  
  
  Semistructured telephone interviews.
  
  
  
  North Carolina Head Start preschools.
  
  
  
  Thirty-two Head Start teachers.
  
  
  
  All interviews were transcribed verbatim. Following a grounded theory approach, authors coded interview data for emergent themes.
  
  
  
  Two primary themes emerged during analysis, including teachers' policy perceptions and teacher-perceived influence of policy on NE.
  
  
  
  A theoretical model was developed to explain how teachers' perceptions of policies influenced NE (eg, teaching strategies) in the classroom. Teachers discussed multiple policy areas governing their classrooms and limiting their ability to provide meaningful and consistent NE. How teachers perceived the level of regulation in the classroom (ie, high or low) influenced the frequency with which they used specific teaching strategies.
  
  
  
  Despite federal policies supporting the provision of NE, teachers face competing priorities in the classroom (eg, school readiness vs NE) and policies may conflict with standardized NE curricula. To understand how Head Start centers develop local policies, additional research should investigate how administrators interpret federal and state policies.
authors.affiliation: College of Allied Health Sciences, Department of Nutrition Science, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.
authors.forename: Amanda D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.affiliation: Department of Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.
authors.forename: L Suzanne
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Goodell
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development and Family Science, College of Health and Human Performance, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.
authors.forename: Archana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hegde
authors.affiliation: College of Allied Health Sciences, Department of Nutrition Science, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC. Electronic address: carrawaystagev@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Virginia C
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Stage
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005178:Faculty / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006266:Health Education / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D009657:North Carolina; D052756:Nutritional Sciences / Q000193:education*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012574:Schools
keywords: Head Start program; policy; preschool children; qualitative research; teaching