Development of a Food and Nutrition Management Behavior Promotion Program for Parents of Overweight Preschool Children in Sukhothai Province.

Abstract

Overnutrition among preschool children is a growing public health concern. This mixed-methods study aimed to (1) develop a program to promote food and nutrition management behaviors among parents and (2) examine the effects of the program in Sukhothai Province. In Phase 1, in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 parents of overweight preschool children to explore factors related to food and nutrition management behaviors. Content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. The findings identified key issues, including the use of food as an expression of affection, economic and time constraints, children’s sedentary behaviors, and inadequate parental management skills despite awareness of the problem. These findings were used to design the program based on Kanfer and Gaelick’s self-regulation theory, which emphasizes self-monitoring, self-evaluation, and self-reinforcement. Phase 2 employed a two-group quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design. The participants consisted of 33 parents in the experimental group and 33 parents in the control group.           The research instruments included the behavior promotion program, questionnaires on parents’ knowledge, attitudes, and food and nutrition management behaviors, and a child nutritional status assessment form. Data were analyzed using content analysis, descriptive statistics, paired t-test, and independent t-test. The results showed that, after the intervention, the experimental group had significantly higher mean scores for knowledge, attitudes, and food and nutrition management behaviors than before the intervention. However, after the intervention, food and nutrition management behaviors did not differ significantly between the experimental and control groups (p = 0.970). The findings suggest that the program was effective in improving parents’ knowledge and attitudes. Nevertheless, behavioral change may require more time, together with continuous support from family and environmental factors, to achieve long-term sustainability.