Changes to the home food environment and parent feeding practices during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative exploration

Amanda Trofholz; Derek Hersch; Kristin Norderud; Jerica M Berge; Katie Loth

doi:10.1016/j.appet.2021.105806

Changes to the home food environment and parent feeding practices during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative exploration

Amanda Trofholz
, Derek Hersch
, Kristin Norderud
, Jerica M Berge
, Katie Loth

Family Medicine and Community Health (Twin Cities)

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about many changes that potentially altered the home food environment, which has been associated with child eating patterns and dietary intake. There is also some evidence that changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic are associated with health behaviors in children, such as an increased intake of high-calorie snack food. The current study aimed to more deeply understand how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the home food environment of meal and snack time routines and parent feeding practices within families of young children. Data for this study are taken from the Kids EAT! Study, a racially/ethnically diverse cohort of families with 2–5 year old children. Qualitative interviews were conducted by phone and video conference with mothers (n = 25) during August/September 2020 and were coded using a hybrid deductive/inductive analysis approach. This allowed coders to identify themes using the interview questions as an organizational template (deductive) while also allowing unique themes to emerge from the qualitative data (inductive). Three overarching themes emerged with multiple sub-themes: 1) Mothers were more directive in the types of food and amounts of food eaten by children; 2) Mothers had less rules around mealtimes; 3) Mothers had increased meal responsibilities. When faced with a change in a structured schedule and increased stress—such as occurred with the COVID-19 pandemic, parents may benefit from advice on how to manage parent feeding practices, including tips on appropriate limit setting, establishing a schedule and routines, and improving accessibility of healthful snacks. Lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic may have relevance to other time periods when families face disruptions to routine and during other times of transition.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	105806
Journal	Appetite
Early online date	Nov 16 2021
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2021.105806
State	Published - 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work was supported by the University of Minnesota Clinical and Translational Science Institute (NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award: UL1TR002494), Children's Minnesota, and the University of Minnesota Department of Pediatrics Child Health COVID-19 Collaborative Grant (PI: Katie Loth). Dr. Loth's time was supported by the National Institutes of Health Institute of Child Health and Human Development, award number K23HD090324-02. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health Institute of Child Health and Human Development.This work was supported by the University of Minnesota Clinical and Translational Science Institute (NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award: UL1TR002494), Children's Minnesota; a University of Minnesota Department of Pediatrics Child Health COVID-19 Collaborative Grant (PIs: Katie Loth, Gretchen Cutler); a University of Minnesota Medical School COVID Rapid Response Grant (PI: Loth); and the National Institutes of Health, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (R35HL139853, PI: Neumark-Sztainer). Dr. Loth's time was supported by the National Institutes of Health Institute of Child Health and Human Development, award number K23HD090324-02. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health Institute of Child Health and Human Development or National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Funders did not play a role in the study design, data collection, analysis or interpretation of the data, nor in the writing of the report or the decision to submit this article for publication.

Funding Information:
This work was supported by the University of Minnesota Clinical and Translational Science Institute ( NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award: UL1TR002494 ), Children's Minnesota, and the University of Minnesota Department of Pediatrics Child Health COVID-19 Collaborative Grant (PI: Katie Loth). Dr. Loth's time was supported by the National Institutes of Health Institute of Child Health and Human Development, award number K23HD090324-02 . The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Funding Information:
This work was supported by the University of Minnesota Clinical and Translational Science Institute (NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award: UL1TR002494 ), Children’s Minnesota ; a University of Minnesota Department of Pediatrics Child Health COVID-19 Collaborative Grant (PIs: Katie Loth, Gretchen Cutler); a University of Minnesota Medical School COVID Rapid Response Grant (PI: Loth) ; and the National Institutes of Health, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute ( R35HL139853 , PI: Neumark-Sztainer). Dr. Loth’s time was supported by the National Institutes of Health Institute of Child Health and Human Development , award number K23HD090324-02 . The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health Institute of Child Health and Human Development or National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Funders did not play a role in the study design, data collection, analysis or interpretation of the data, nor in the writing of the report or the decision to submit this article for publication.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier Ltd

Keywords

Child eating
COVD-19
Home food environment
Parent feeding practices
Qualitative
Snacking

PubMed: MeSH publication types

Journal Article
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

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10.1016/j.appet.2021.105806

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title = "Changes to the home food environment and parent feeding practices during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative exploration",

abstract = "The COVID-19 pandemic brought about many changes that potentially altered the home food environment, which has been associated with child eating patterns and dietary intake. There is also some evidence that changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic are associated with health behaviors in children, such as an increased intake of high-calorie snack food. The current study aimed to more deeply understand how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the home food environment of meal and snack time routines and parent feeding practices within families of young children. Data for this study are taken from the Kids EAT! Study, a racially/ethnically diverse cohort of families with 2–5 year old children. Qualitative interviews were conducted by phone and video conference with mothers (n = 25) during August/September 2020 and were coded using a hybrid deductive/inductive analysis approach. This allowed coders to identify themes using the interview questions as an organizational template (deductive) while also allowing unique themes to emerge from the qualitative data (inductive). Three overarching themes emerged with multiple sub-themes: 1) Mothers were more directive in the types of food and amounts of food eaten by children; 2) Mothers had less rules around mealtimes; 3) Mothers had increased meal responsibilities. When faced with a change in a structured schedule and increased stress—such as occurred with the COVID-19 pandemic, parents may benefit from advice on how to manage parent feeding practices, including tips on appropriate limit setting, establishing a schedule and routines, and improving accessibility of healthful snacks. Lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic may have relevance to other time periods when families face disruptions to routine and during other times of transition.",

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author = "Amanda Trofholz and Derek Hersch and Kristin Norderud and Berge, \{Jerica M\} and Katie Loth",

note = "Funding Information: This work was supported by the University of Minnesota Clinical and Translational Science Institute (NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award: UL1TR002494), Children's Minnesota, and the University of Minnesota Department of Pediatrics Child Health COVID-19 Collaborative Grant (PI: Katie Loth). Dr. Loth's time was supported by the National Institutes of Health Institute of Child Health and Human Development, award number K23HD090324-02. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health Institute of Child Health and Human Development.This work was supported by the University of Minnesota Clinical and Translational Science Institute (NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award: UL1TR002494), Children's Minnesota; a University of Minnesota Department of Pediatrics Child Health COVID-19 Collaborative Grant (PIs: Katie Loth, Gretchen Cutler); a University of Minnesota Medical School COVID Rapid Response Grant (PI: Loth); and the National Institutes of Health, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (R35HL139853, PI: Neumark-Sztainer). Dr. Loth's time was supported by the National Institutes of Health Institute of Child Health and Human Development, award number K23HD090324-02. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health Institute of Child Health and Human Development or National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Funders did not play a role in the study design, data collection, analysis or interpretation of the data, nor in the writing of the report or the decision to submit this article for publication. Funding Information: This work was supported by the University of Minnesota Clinical and Translational Science Institute ( NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award: UL1TR002494 ), Children's Minnesota, and the University of Minnesota Department of Pediatrics Child Health COVID-19 Collaborative Grant (PI: Katie Loth). Dr. Loth's time was supported by the National Institutes of Health Institute of Child Health and Human Development, award number K23HD090324-02 . The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Funding Information: This work was supported by the University of Minnesota Clinical and Translational Science Institute (NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award: UL1TR002494 ), Children{\textquoteright}s Minnesota ; a University of Minnesota Department of Pediatrics Child Health COVID-19 Collaborative Grant (PIs: Katie Loth, Gretchen Cutler); a University of Minnesota Medical School COVID Rapid Response Grant (PI: Loth) ; and the National Institutes of Health, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute ( R35HL139853 , PI: Neumark-Sztainer). Dr. Loth{\textquoteright}s time was supported by the National Institutes of Health Institute of Child Health and Human Development , award number K23HD090324-02 . The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health Institute of Child Health and Human Development or National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Funders did not play a role in the study design, data collection, analysis or interpretation of the data, nor in the writing of the report or the decision to submit this article for publication. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 Elsevier Ltd",

year = "2022",

doi = "10.1016/j.appet.2021.105806",

language = "English (US)",

journal = "Appetite",

issn = "0195-6663",

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T1 - Changes to the home food environment and parent feeding practices during the COVID-19 pandemic

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AU - Trofholz, Amanda

AU - Hersch, Derek

AU - Norderud, Kristin

AU - Berge, Jerica M

AU - Loth, Katie

N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported by the University of Minnesota Clinical and Translational Science Institute (NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award: UL1TR002494), Children's Minnesota, and the University of Minnesota Department of Pediatrics Child Health COVID-19 Collaborative Grant (PI: Katie Loth). Dr. Loth's time was supported by the National Institutes of Health Institute of Child Health and Human Development, award number K23HD090324-02. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health Institute of Child Health and Human Development.This work was supported by the University of Minnesota Clinical and Translational Science Institute (NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award: UL1TR002494), Children's Minnesota; a University of Minnesota Department of Pediatrics Child Health COVID-19 Collaborative Grant (PIs: Katie Loth, Gretchen Cutler); a University of Minnesota Medical School COVID Rapid Response Grant (PI: Loth); and the National Institutes of Health, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (R35HL139853, PI: Neumark-Sztainer). Dr. Loth's time was supported by the National Institutes of Health Institute of Child Health and Human Development, award number K23HD090324-02. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health Institute of Child Health and Human Development or National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Funders did not play a role in the study design, data collection, analysis or interpretation of the data, nor in the writing of the report or the decision to submit this article for publication. Funding Information: This work was supported by the University of Minnesota Clinical and Translational Science Institute ( NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award: UL1TR002494 ), Children's Minnesota, and the University of Minnesota Department of Pediatrics Child Health COVID-19 Collaborative Grant (PI: Katie Loth). Dr. Loth's time was supported by the National Institutes of Health Institute of Child Health and Human Development, award number K23HD090324-02 . The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Funding Information: This work was supported by the University of Minnesota Clinical and Translational Science Institute (NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award: UL1TR002494 ), Children’s Minnesota ; a University of Minnesota Department of Pediatrics Child Health COVID-19 Collaborative Grant (PIs: Katie Loth, Gretchen Cutler); a University of Minnesota Medical School COVID Rapid Response Grant (PI: Loth) ; and the National Institutes of Health, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute ( R35HL139853 , PI: Neumark-Sztainer). Dr. Loth’s time was supported by the National Institutes of Health Institute of Child Health and Human Development , award number K23HD090324-02 . The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health Institute of Child Health and Human Development or National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Funders did not play a role in the study design, data collection, analysis or interpretation of the data, nor in the writing of the report or the decision to submit this article for publication. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Elsevier Ltd

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - The COVID-19 pandemic brought about many changes that potentially altered the home food environment, which has been associated with child eating patterns and dietary intake. There is also some evidence that changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic are associated with health behaviors in children, such as an increased intake of high-calorie snack food. The current study aimed to more deeply understand how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the home food environment of meal and snack time routines and parent feeding practices within families of young children. Data for this study are taken from the Kids EAT! Study, a racially/ethnically diverse cohort of families with 2–5 year old children. Qualitative interviews were conducted by phone and video conference with mothers (n = 25) during August/September 2020 and were coded using a hybrid deductive/inductive analysis approach. This allowed coders to identify themes using the interview questions as an organizational template (deductive) while also allowing unique themes to emerge from the qualitative data (inductive). Three overarching themes emerged with multiple sub-themes: 1) Mothers were more directive in the types of food and amounts of food eaten by children; 2) Mothers had less rules around mealtimes; 3) Mothers had increased meal responsibilities. When faced with a change in a structured schedule and increased stress—such as occurred with the COVID-19 pandemic, parents may benefit from advice on how to manage parent feeding practices, including tips on appropriate limit setting, establishing a schedule and routines, and improving accessibility of healthful snacks. Lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic may have relevance to other time periods when families face disruptions to routine and during other times of transition.

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KW - Parent feeding practices

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Changes to the home food environment and parent feeding practices during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative exploration

Abstract

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Keywords

PubMed: MeSH publication types

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