Educator Influence on Obesity in Preschool

Swindle, Taren

Abstract

Low-income preschoolers are more likely to be overweight than their peers of higher socioeconomic status. Many low-income children spend 30 or more hours per week in childcare programs. However, there are few studies about the factors in these settings that impact early childhood obesity, particularly those driven by the classroom teacher. Pilot observations and the available literature suggest there are several areas related to obesity prevention in which educators routinely exhibit behaviors counter to best practice. We hypothesize that these negative behaviors are the result of internalized ideas about food consumption, perceptions of the role of the preschool teacher, and deficient programmatic policies. Further study is needed to systematically explore teacher-held attitudes originating from their personal experiences and how those attitudes translate to classroom behaviors that predict child obesity outcomes. The objective of this application is to articulate and test key components of a novel theoretical model that describes the potential influence of the early childhood educator (ECE) in obesity prevention. The central hypothesis is that educators' own experiences and beliefs are associated with their interactions with children in the same way parents' personal experiences impact their parenting (i.e., Belsky's determinants of parenting model, 1984).
Two specific aims are proposed: (1) Assess ECEs' personal history and beliefs around nutrition and the perceived role of ECEs in obesity prevention. Using an exploratory sequential mixed methods design, we will operationalize key constructs through in-depth interviews, design survey items based on thematic analysis, and assess generalizability to a broader sample; and (2) Test key components of the proposed theoretical model. We will pair the survey instrument developed in Aim 1 with structured classroom observations. Multi-level structural equation modeling will test the theory-implied associations against observed data regarding ECEs' history, beliefs and manifested interactions in the classroom. Demonstrated links will inform the design of future projects to link teacher behaviors with child outcomes and generate policy that impacts teaching Interactions.