Feeding Choices Among First Generation Latina Mothers Living in Non-Metropolitan Communities

Background and Purpose: Latinos are the fastest growing minority in the United States (US). Currently, Latinos make up 17.3% of the total US population and 49% are foreign born. After migration to the US, Latinos face a myriad of changes to which they need to adapt quickly. Some of the changes have health consequences, such as changes in the choices they make regarding what food to feed their children and families. Some of these different feeding choices are contributing to the high rates of childhood and adult obesity in this population. Although there is prior research on dietary changes among Latino immigrants, the majority of this literature is quantitative and it does not aim to understand the thought processes that mothers engage in when trying to determine what to feed their children and families. Using a Socio-Ecological Model, this study aimed to understand how Latina immigrant mothers make feeding decisions for their children and their families.   

Methods: A total of 30 semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of immigrant mothers from Latin American countries whose preschoolers were enrolled in a Women, Infant, and Children supplemental nutrition program. Interviews lasted on average 32 minutes and focused on retrospective accounts of eating behaviors and family feeding choices as mothers after migration. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim in Spanish, and analyzed by a bilingual team. Relevant quotes were translated into English. Multi-stage qualitative analysis was employed to describe the participant’s "lived experience". The first stage consisted of coding the data using specific coding mechanisms and developing a codebook. The second stage required axial coding using the newly developed codebook. The third stage consisted of developing categories. The final stage required grouping categories and identifying themes.

Results: Two thirds of participants were from Mexico, four from Central America, and six from South America. Most (n=25) women were married or living with a partner. Five themes emerged that help illuminate mother’s decision making around feeding choices: 1) immigration as all-encompassing, 2) location and access to fresh and traditional foods, 3) disjunction between health provider advice and cultural knowledge 4) interpersonal conflict between mother and child over food choice, 5) intrapersonal conflict stemming from childhood poverty and food insufficiency.

Conclusions and Implications: Findings suggest that Latina immigrant mothers engage in a difficult and even conflicting process when deciding how to feed their children and families. Unconscious thought processes may exist; however, they might be deliberate, considering the mothers are trying to make healthy choices. Living in a non-metropolitan community played an important role in the perceptions that the participants had about food access. Overall, the results suggest it is necessary to value mothers’ base knowledge and it is important to implement more hands-on interventions that can help consolidate, promote, and encourage healthy feeding choices. Having a better understanding of the decision-making processes that mothers engage in when making feeding choices can facilitate the opportunity for social workers, health care providers, and researchers to intervene and promote healthy eating and weight among Latinos.