Factors affecting maternal decision making about grandparents’ cariogenic dietary choices for children: A qualitative study

Abstract

Background: Added sugar in children's diets puts them at higher risk of developing caries. Researchers have reported that grandparents frequently give their grandchildren cariogenic foods and beverages (for example, those with added sugars) and disagreements between grandparents and parents can ensue over this issue. This study's objective was to examine factors that influence whether mothers address grandparents about giving their grandchildren cariogenic foods and beverages. Methods: In-person, semistructured qualitative interviews were conducted with 126 mothers of children aged 3 through 5 years from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia from 2018 through 2020. Qualitative data for this study were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, imported into NVivo for coding, and analyzed using iterative theme development via a constant comparative process. Results: In this study, 72% of mothers (91 of 126) indicated that grandparents gave their grandchildren cariogenic foods and beverages, and 51% of those mothers (46 of 91) addressed the issue with grandparents. Mothers described that the following factors influenced whether they addressed grandparents on this issue: frequency of interaction between grandparents and children, mothers’ dependency on grandparents for childcare, quantity of cariogenic foods and beverages that grandparents provided, and strength of mothers’ relationships with grandparents. Conclusions: There is evidence that some mothers consider the frequency and quantity of cariogenic foods and beverages, as well as social factors, when deciding whether to engage with grandparents about the cariogenic foods and beverages they give to their grandchildren. Practical Implications: Initiatives aimed to decrease childhood caries should consider how interpersonal family relationships may need to be addressed as part of successful sugar-reduction interventions.