How local and state regulations affect the child care food environment: A qualitative study of child care center directors' perspectives

Food Photography as a Tool to Assess Type, Quantity, and Quality of Foods in Parent-Packed Lunches for Preschoolers

OBJECTIVE

Explore using food photography to assess packed lunches in a university-based Early Childhood Center and contextualize these photographs through parent interviews.

METHODS

An explanatory sequential design was used. Packed lunches were photographed to assess the type and quantity of foods offered and consumed by Child and Adult Food Care Program components (fruit, vegetable, grain, and protein) and quality of foods offered using the Healthy Meal Index. Parent interviews aimed to understand motivations and behaviors related to packing lunch.

RESULTS

Data were collected on 401 lunches. Only 16.2% of lunches met all Child and Adult Food Care Program requirements. Most lunches included fruit (84%) and grains (82%), whereas fewer included vegetables (44%). Portion sizes were large, especially for grains (2.7 ± 1.5 servings). In interviews (n = 24), parents expressed tension between offering healthful items and foods they knew their child would eat, as well as concern about children going hungry.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Food photography is a feasible methodology to capture parent-packed lunches for preschoolers and may have utility in nutrition education, particularly related to age-appropriate portion sizes.

Teacher Perceptions of Multilevel Policies and the Influence on Nutrition Education in North Carolina Head Start Preschools

OBJECTIVE

To develop a theory that explains the process of how teachers' perception of multilevel policies may influence nutrition education (NE) teaching strategies in Head Start preschools.

DESIGN

Semistructured telephone interviews.

SETTING

North Carolina Head Start preschools.

PARTICIPANTS

Thirty-two Head Start teachers.

PHENOMENON OF INTEREST

All interviews were transcribed verbatim. Following a grounded theory approach, authors coded interview data for emergent themes.

ANALYSIS

Two primary themes emerged during analysis, including teachers' policy perceptions and teacher-perceived influence of policy on NE.

RESULTS

A theoretical model was developed to explain how teachers' perceptions of policies influenced NE (eg, teaching strategies) in the classroom. Teachers discussed multiple policy areas governing their classrooms and limiting their ability to provide meaningful and consistent NE. How teachers perceived the level of regulation in the classroom (ie, high or low) influenced the frequency with which they used specific teaching strategies.

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS

Despite federal policies supporting the provision of NE, teachers face competing priorities in the classroom (eg, school readiness vs NE) and policies may conflict with standardized NE curricula. To understand how Head Start centers develop local policies, additional research should investigate how administrators interpret federal and state policies.