ERIC Number: EJ989105
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Nov
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0017-8969
EISSN: N/A
Attitudes to Childhood Overweight and Obesity: The Limits of Cultural Explanations
Chakrabarti, Suparna; Abbott, Stephen
Health Education Journal, v71 n6 p670-677 Nov 2012
Objectives: To explore attitudes to and beliefs about childhood overweight and obesity among Bangladeshi mothers and to check maternal perceptions of their children's weight status. Design: Mixed methods cross-sectional study. Setting: A general practice in East London, UK. Methods: Qualitative interviews with 14 mothers; weighing and measuring 22 children. Results: Mothers were generally aware of broad health promotion messages about diet and exercise, but many tended to under-estimate their children's weight status. Differences in view did not reflect in any simple way English language skills, and the range of views reflected those in the majority population. Conclusion: Health promotion initiatives should assess individual needs; membership of a Bangladeshi community does not necessarily predict knowledge, beliefs or behaviour, and assumptions that this community is different from others are misleading. (Contains 1 figure.)
Descriptors: Health Promotion, Children, Foreign Countries, Language Skills, Obesity, Mother Attitudes, Interviews, Qualitative Research, Prediction, Beliefs, Body Weight, English (Second Language), Immigrants
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Bangladesh; United Kingdom (London)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A