Barriers and Facilitators Influencing Parents' Willingness to Follow Healthcare Provider Guidance for Addressing Behaviors Linked to Early Childhood Obesity Risk: A Qualitative Descriptive Study.

INTRODUCTION: This study aims to assess parents' willingness to modify behaviors associated with obesity risk upon a provider's recommendation in the first six months of life among non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic families. METHOD: Twenty parents completed a survey about their current infant feeding, sleep, and nutritional behaviors that guided a tailored semistructured interview. RESULTS: Barriers to parents' willingness to modify behaviors associated with obesity risk in infancy included prioritizing perception of infant hunger and relying on parental intuition. Facilitators included understanding the provider's reasoning and trusting the provider's motivations. DISCUSSION: Health care providers are considered trusted sources by most parents and parents are willing to follow professional advice if providers share detailed explanations on the reasoning for behavior change recommendations. Future interventions created by trusted sources, like pediatric primary care providers, offer a promising mechanism for providing education on early life obesity prevention that is tailored to individual family needs.

Duke Scholars

Author Melissa Kay Pediatrics, General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health

Author Charles Thomas Wood Pediatrics, General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health

Author Amy Lynn Corneli Population Health Sciences