Parents and schoolchildren talking about food and drink choices – a focus group study

Abstract

We explored parents’ and schoolchildren’s views on sugary food and drink, and their perspectives on barriers and facilitators bringing about dietary change. Methods: Focus groups were conducted in 5 schools in Malta. Results: In total, 23 parents and 28 children took part. Children’s themes included personal factors, influencers and barriers to healthy eating, rules, and suggestions for change. For parents, personal perspectives, control, the school’s role, wider influences, and intervention suggestion themes emerged. Parents expected schools to take a lead role whilst children saw parents as key influencers. Conclusions: The study highlighted challenges in parental roles and children’s attitudes to consider for improving dietary behavior in pre-adolescent schoolchildren.