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Sociocultural and familial factors influence the effectiveness of programs designed to prevent childhood obesity.
According to recent research published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, "This study examined sociocultural and familial factors related to the prevention of childhood obesity."
"Primary caregivers of 6- to 10-year-old children representing several ethnic populations in Saipan participated in four focus groups (N2)," stated Mozhdeh B. Bruss and colleagues at Western Michigan University in the United States. "Trained moderators used semi-structured interviews and qualitative methods were used in data analysis."
"A central theme with several related factors emerged," reported the researchers. "The theme was a conflict expressed by the primary caregiver between sociocultural values, family expectations, traditional dietary beliefs and attitudes, and knowledge about food and disease. These findings have important implications for designing culturally sensitive interventions for prevention of childhood obesity."
Bruss and associates published their study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association (Prevention of childhood obesity: Sociocultural and familial factors. J Am Diet Assn, 2003;103(8):1042-1045).
For additional information, contact Mozhdeh B. Bruss, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, College of Education, Western Michigan University, 3018 Kohrman Hall, Kalamazoo, MI 49008, USA. E-mail: brussm@wmich.edu.
The publisher's contact information for the Journal of the American Dietetic Association is: American Dietetic Association, 216 West Jackson Boulevard #800, Chicago, IL 60606-6995, USA.
The information in this article comes under the major subject areas of Childhood Obesity, Pediatrics, Obesity Therapy, Adolescent Health, and Obesity Risk Factor. This article was prepared by Biotech Week editors from staff and other reports.
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