Papers by Deepa Srivastava
American Journal of Health Promotion, Nov 8, 2018
Purpose: To understand parental ethnotheories (i.e., belief systems) and practices about preschoo... more Purpose: To understand parental ethnotheories (i.e., belief systems) and practices about preschoolers' healthy eating guided by the developmental niche framework. Design: Qualitative hermeneutic phenomenology. Setting: Home. Participants: Participants were 20 parents of preschool-age children ages 3 to 5 years, recruited from a quantitative investigation. A majority of the participants were white, female, married, well educated, and working full time. Methods: Participants who completed the quantitative survey were asked to provide their contact information if they were willing to be interviewed. From the pool of participants who expressed their willingness to participate in the interviews, 20 participants were selected using a random number generator. In-person semistructured interviews were conducted until data saturation (n = 20). Thematic analysis was performed. digitalcommons.unl.edu Results: Three themes and 6 subthemes emerged: theme 1-parental ethnotheories about healthy eating included subthemes of knowledge about healthy eating, motivations to promote healthy child development through healthy eating, and sources of knowledge about healthy eating (e.g., doctors, social media, government guidelines, positive family-of-origin experiences); theme 2-parental ethnotheories that supported organization of children's physical and social settings included structured mealtime routines and food socialization influences (e.g., grandparents, siblings, and childcare programs); and theme 3-parental ethnotheories that supported children's learning about healthy eating included parent-child engagement, communication, and encouragement in food-related activities (e.g., meal preparation, visiting farmer's market, grocery shopping, gardening, cooking, baking). Conclusion: Findings advance the literature on parental practices about healthy eating. Parental ethnotheories (e.g., beliefs, motivations, knowledge, and skills) matter. Developmental niche of preschoolers (i.e., physical and social settings, childrearing practices, and parental ethnotheories) constitutes an interactive system in which ethnotheories serve as guides to parental practices. Fostering nutrition education and parent-child engagement, communication, and encouragement in food-related activities are recommended to promote children's healthy eating in daily routines.
California Agriculture, Feb 1, 2023
Online training is an effective way to communicate about childhood nutritional needs to Englishan... more Online training is an effective way to communicate about childhood nutritional needs to Englishand Spanish-speaking family child care home providers.
Examining Foods and Beverages Served and Child Food Insecurity across Early Care and Education (ECE) Programs in Communities with High Rates of Obesity and Food Insecurity
Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, 2022
Nutrition and Health, 2021
Background: Parent feeding practices play a critical role in children’s eating behaviors. Limited... more Background: Parent feeding practices play a critical role in children’s eating behaviors. Limited research has explored child-level correlates of parent feeding practices. Aim: To identify correlates of feeding practices (responsive and controlling) among parents of preschoolers US. Methods: Participants included parents (n = 273) of preschoolers (3–5 years), recruited from Early Care and Education settings (n = 24) located in a metropolitan city in the US. Analysis included descriptives, correlations, and multiple regression. Results: For responsive feeding practices, positive associations included child's weight with unintentional modeling ( β = .17, 95% CI [0.12, 0.53]), child vegetable consumption with behavioral role modeling ( β = 0.22, 95% CI [0.17, 0.44]), and parent monitoring with verbal modeling ( β = 0.21, 95% CI [0.12, 0.34]). For controlling feeding practices, parent restriction was positively associated with child weight concern ( β = 0.22, 95% CI [0.13, 0.39]) an...
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 2021
Background In combination with healthy eating, physical activity is an essential component of a h... more Background In combination with healthy eating, physical activity is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle that can help prevent a range of chronic diseases among children. As role models and gatekeepers, parents can influence children's eating and physical activity behaviors through healthy practices, helping and teaching children to make healthy choices for themselves that will last a lifetime. Objective To investigate the associations between demographic characteristics, parental feeding practices, and child physical activity in preschool-age children. Study Design, Setting, Participants Participants of this cross-sectional study included parents (n = 273) of preschool-age children ages 3 to 5 years, recruited from early childhood education centers (n = 24). Measurable Outcome/Analysis Independent variables (IVs) included parent and child demographics, parent weight status, feeding practices, parent role modeling, home meal preparation, and child fruit and vegetable co...
P78 Expanded Food & Nutrition Education Program Building Household Food Resilience Among Low-Income Families
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 2021
Objective To improve nutrition and food resource management practices and household food security... more Objective To improve nutrition and food resource management practices and household food security among low-income families. Use of Theory or Research Efforts to strengthen nutrition and food security is needed to build household food resilience (ie, being resourceful) more than ever as low-income families face unprecedented challenges due to the COVID pandemic. The rising food insecurity in California is concerning, which is linked to poor dietary outcomes and obesity. Target Audience Parents recruited from low-income community settings in Tulare County, California. Program Description During FY2019-20, trained bilingual nutrition educator implemented the 9-week Expanded Food & Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) in English and Spanish using series-based adult curriculum Eating Smart Being Active. Each class was held once a week for 60-90 minutes in duration. Evaluation Methods Participants completed demographics questionnaire, Food Tracker dietary recall, and a pre-post Food & Phy...
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 2020
Background: Healthy Eating Index (HEI) is a useful tool that can be used to assess dietary qualit... more Background: Healthy Eating Index (HEI) is a useful tool that can be used to assess dietary quality via adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate diet quality of pregnant women participating in the WIC program and to examine possible associations with demographic variables, nutrition knowledge, and key health indicators. Study Design, Setting, Participants: A cross-sectional study using survey methodology was conducted. Sixty pregnant women between 12 and 24 weeks of gestation and carrying a single fetus were recruited from the WIC program at a community health center. Measurable Outcome/Analysis: Dietary intake was evaluated using two 3-day food records, the first set completed at baseline and the second at follow-up, around 28 weeks of gestation. Food records were analyzed and scored based on HEI-2015. An HEI score above 80 was considered adequate, between 60 and 79.99 average, and below 60 low. Participants' demographic data and key health indicators, including height and pre-pregnancy weight, were recorded. Nutrition knowledge was assessed. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze data. Results: The mean HEI score of the sample was 59.1 at baseline, and 56.8 at follow-up. There was a significant difference in the distribution of participants' HEI scores among the 3 HEI categories at both baseline and followup (P < .05). Half of the participants had a HEI score below 60 at baseline, while 66.6% were in the low HEI category at follow-up. HEI was negatively correlated with pre-pregnancy BMI (r = À.314, P < .05). The only variable that was predictive of HEI score at both baseline and follow-up was knowledge of anemia (F (3, 47) = 3.84, P < .05). Conclusions: The suboptimal status of the diet of study participants warrants the need for additional dietary counseling for WIC-enrolled pregnant women. Funding: None.
Preventive Medicine Reports, 2019
This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the ad... more This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 2019
To determine the impact of the Ecological Approach to (EAT) Family Style Dining intervention on c... more To determine the impact of the Ecological Approach to (EAT) Family Style Dining intervention on childcare providers' implementation of responsive feeding practices, children's knowledge and familiarity of fruits and vegetables (FV), and dietary intake. Use of Theory or Research: EAT Family Style is guided by the socio-ecological theory and includes an implementation strategy, evidence-informed responsive feeding practices and a research-based coaching model emphasizing growth mindset thinking, goal setting and reflecting. Target Audience: Childcare providers (n = 45) caring for children (three to five years old) from 11 childcare centers in Nebraska. Child-level data were collected from a subsample of 53 children. Program Description: EAT Family Style Dining is a 14week intervention consisting of seven interactive web-based lessons (two hours each) focused on: role modeling, peer modeling, sensory exploration, self-regulation, children serve themselves, praise and rewards, and family engagement. Providers completed one online lesson/week followed by a coaching session with an Extension educator. Evaluation Methods: Implementation feasibility was evaluated by childcare providers completing the attention, relevance, confidence and satisfaction (ARCS) survey, along with a pre-post survey reporting knowledge, attitudes, and implementation of responsive feeding practices. Intervention effectiveness was evaluated by changes in children's knowledge and familiarity of FV and dietary intake which were measured using previously validated methods. Results: The implementation strategy was feasible. Average ARCS scores for all seven lessons were 4.1 on a 5-point Likert scale. On average, providers' knowledge, attitudes and implementation scores regarding responsive feeding practices increased from baseline to post-intervention by 22%, 27%, and 29.5% respectively. The intervention was effective. Children's knowledge score for FV [t (52) = 4.550, P < .0001], familiarity of vegetables [t (52) = 2.29, P < .026], and consumption of fruits [t (52) = 5.132, P < .0001] and vegetables [t (52) = 3.365, P < .0001] increased significantly at post-intervention. Conclusions: Overall, the EAT Family Style Dining intervention is feasible in fostering childcare providers' implementation of responsive feeding practices and provides preliminary evidence for positively impacting children's dietary intake. Funding: USDA NIFA.
American Journal of Health Promotion, 2018
Purpose: To understand parental ethnotheories (ie, belief systems) and practices about preschoole... more Purpose: To understand parental ethnotheories (ie, belief systems) and practices about preschoolers’ healthy eating guided by the developmental niche framework. Design: Qualitative hermeneutic phenomenology. Setting: Home. Participants: Participants were 20 parents of preschool-age children ages 3 to 5 years, recruited from a quantitative investigation. A majority of the participants were white, female, married, well educated, and working full time. Methods: Participants who completed the quantitative survey were asked to provide their contact information if they were willing to be interviewed. From the pool of participants who expressed their willingness to participate in the interviews, 20 participants were selected using a random number generator. In-person semistructured interviews were conducted until data saturation (n = 20). Thematic analysis was performed. Results: Three themes and 6 subthemes emerged: theme 1—parental ethnotheories about healthy eating included subthemes of...
Psychology and Developing Societies, 2017
Although long-distance parenting is often depicted as a response to crisis (e.g., economic) or ot... more Although long-distance parenting is often depicted as a response to crisis (e.g., economic) or other stressful life events, it is sometimes undertaken in various culturally normative situations. This current study explores the motivations of South Asian Indian immigrant parents for sending their young children to India to live temporarily with their grandparents. This qualitative study involves in-depth interviews with first generation immigrant parents about their experiences and motivations for sending their children to India. Analysis of the data revealed five themes, namely, (a) contextual and daily challenges in caring for their children in the United States, (b) parents’ concern around paid group childcare, (c) grandparents as ideal caregivers but unable to stay in the United States, (d) presence of other extended network of relationships and support in India and (e) parents wanting their children to maintain their language and customs. Findings suggest culturally grounded bel...
American Journal of Health Promotion, 2017
Purpose:Using the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics benchmarks as a framework, this study examin... more Purpose:Using the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics benchmarks as a framework, this study examined childcare providers’ (Head Start [HS], Child and Adult Care Food Program [CACFP] funded, and non-CACFP) perspectives regarding communicating with parents about nutrition to promote children’s health.Design:Qualitative.Setting:State-licensed center-based childcare programs.Participants:Full-time childcare providers (n = 18) caring for children 2 to 5 years old from varying childcare contexts (HS, CACFP funded, and non-CACFP), race, education, and years of experience.Methods:In-person interviews using semi-structured interview protocol until saturation were achieved. Thematic analysis was conducted.Results:Two overarching themes were barriers and strategies to communicate with parents about children’s nutrition. Barriers to communication included—(a) parents are too busy to talk with providers, (b) parents offer unhealthy foods, (c) parents prioritize talking about child food issues ove...
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 2018
Background (Background, Rationale, Prior Research, and/or Theory): Food pantry users are often as... more Background (Background, Rationale, Prior Research, and/or Theory): Food pantry users are often assumed to have poor diet quality. Identifying effective strategies that increase the selection of healthy foods by pantry users may help improve their dietary intake. Utah's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) developed the Thumbs Up for Healthy Choices program which aims to make the healthy choice, the easy choice in pantries. Thumbs Up for Healthy Choices uses nudge strategies including shelf signs, recipe cards, and posters to increase the visibility of healthy options. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Thumbs Up for Healthy Choices program on food pantry users' selection and use of targeted foods. Study Design, Setting, Participants, Intervention: A convenience sample of 457 food pantry users in six urban Utah food pantries were surveyed. Participants were asked about their familiarity with the Thumbs Up program, barriers to making healthy choices, selection of promoted items, use of foods and recipes at home, as well as the impact of the program on dietary intake. Outcome Measures and Analysis: Frequencies and descriptive statistics were analyzed. Chi-square associations were used to identify relationships between demographic characteristics and program impact. Logistic regression was used to analyze the effect of exposure on program impacts. Results: Eighty-four percent of respondents agree or strongly agree that Thumbs Up makes it easier to make healthy choices. Sixty-seven percent of respondents agree or strongly agree they eat healthier since Thumbs Up was implemented. Hispanics were more likely than non-Hispanics to report healthier eating for themselves and their families (P = .002, P = .001). After controlling for age, ethnicity, and gender, program exposure was significantly associated with using targeted foods at home (P = < .001) and selecting foods with Thumbs Up signs (P = .002). Conclusions and Implications: These results suggest that the Thumbs Up for Healthy Choices program positively impacts food pantry users' selection of targeted healthy foods. Nudge programs, including Thumbs Up for Healthy Choices, are low-input strategies that may improve food pantry users' selection and consumption of healthy foods.
P143 Examining Nutrition Practices Across Early Childhood Education Programs in Two Rural Counties of California
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 2019
Background Early childhood education (ECE) programs are important partners for childhood obesity ... more Background Early childhood education (ECE) programs are important partners for childhood obesity prevention efforts. Despite signs of progress, racial and ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic disparities in obesity rates still persist in California. Current understanding of obesity prevention strategies (e.g. nutrition practices) is limited across ECE programs in Tulare/ Kings counties of California. Objective To characterize nutrition practices of Child Care Centers (CCCs) and Family Child Care Homes (FCCHs). Study Design, Settings, Participants Study design was cross-sectional. Settings included licensed CCCs and FCCHs in Tulare/Kings counties. Participants included CCC Directors (N = 59) and FCCH Providers (N = 58). Measurable Outcome/Analysis Of the 701 nutrition practices surveys administered, 117 were completed and returned. Descriptive and chi-square analysis was conducted using SPSS. Results Results indicated statistically significant differences (P Conclusion Targeting nutrition interventions based on the childcare context (FCCH vs. CCC) is critical to the implementation of nutrition best practices. Overall, FCCH reported higher adherence to best practices as compared to CCC. This could be attributed to a higher participation of FCCHs in CACFP. A focus on nutrition education as well as participation in CACFP in ECE programs may help in obesity prevention efforts. Funding UC ANR.
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Papers by Deepa Srivastava