Role of Alternative Caregivers in Food Choices for Young Children in Semi-urban and Urban Mexico

This work aimed to understand what alternative caregivers value in making food choices for children and the perspectives of alternative caregivers on their role in making food choices to feed children. This qualitative study was conducted in low-income semi-urban and urban communities of the State of Mexico, Mexico. Primary caregivers of children aged 12–59 months named people they considered alternative caregivers. A convenience sample was used for the selection of 16 alternative caregivers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with alternative caregivers. On average interviews lasted 37.2 minutes; interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. All Transcriptions were read, coded, and analyzed using a grounded theory approach. NVivo 10 was used for data management and analysis. Alternative caregivers were related to children as grandmothers (n = 10), fathers (2), aunts (2), uncle (1), and friend (1). Their average age was 52 years. The highest education was technical school and the lowest was no schooling. Most were homemakers. Almost all shared the same house or land with the children. Alternative caregivers chose the foods fed to children based on how nutritious and healthy food was, children, wanting or desiring certain food, their desire of the child to eat well, the affordability of the food, and how appropriate the food was for the age of children. Alternative caregivers described more influence on the process of decisions about food purchase, cooking, and feeding the child when they were closely related to the child and lived in the same household or land. Alternative caregivers who were not as active in all the process of decisions participated with advice to mothers on what to feed the child. When alternative caregivers expressed affection for children, they showed more interest in what children eat. Alternative caregivers had a substantial role in the process of making food choices for children. Considering how alternative caregivers participate and influence what children eat may be important in efforts to promote healthy food choices for children. Office of the Vice President for Research, University of South Carolina