What Are the Barriers at Home and School to Healthy Eating?: Overweight/Obese Child and Parent Perspectives

Abstract

Background: Most studies that have investigated factors influencing eating habits among obese children have focused mainly on individual or interpersonal factors and applied quantitative research methods. Purpose: This study was undertaken to identify the barriers in home and school settings that hamper healthy eating in overweight and obese children in South Korea. Methods: Focus group interviews were conducted with 15 overweight/obese children and 15 parents. A standard manual with open-ended questions was developed. Content analysis was used to identify key findings. Results: Participants were aware of the importance of home and school environments in shaping children's eating habits. Five major barriers, respectively, at home and at school emerged from the data. At home, the food preferences of parents affected the eating habits of their children. Moreover, parents worried about providing differentiated diets for siblings and about the permissiveness of grandparents toward grandsons. Furthermore, working parents preferred easy-to-prepare instant foods and said that their children ate overly quickly. At school, children cited time pressures, poor cafeteria environments, and ineffective nutrition education as barriers, whereas parents worried about inconsistent management by teachers and the unsafe food environment around the school. Conclusions: These environment-related barriers may be resolved through changes in the behavior of children, parents, and teachers as well as through the continued efforts of schools, community stake-holders, and policymakers, all of whose cooperation is essential to fostering a healthy food environment for children.