Family Facilitators of, Barriers to and Strategies for Healthy Eating among Chinese Adolescents: Qualitative Interviews with Parent–Adolescent Dyads

Abstract

Healthy eating is vital in preventing obesity and long-term non-communicable diseases. This study explores potential family facilitators of, barriers to and strategies for healthy eating among adolescents in Chinese families to guide the development of effective interventions in the future. Parent–adolescent dyads were purposively sampled by age, gender, fruit and vegetable intake and household income. Key family factors were identified by thematic analysis. Fourteen themes under five domains were identified: family health with (1) illness experienced in the family; parental knowledge of (2) dietary recommendations, (3) the preparation of healthy food and (4) healthy food choice; parental attitudes towards (5) the importance of healthy eating and (6) the priority of family health; socioeconomic factors of (7) time concerns and (8) cost concerns; and food parenting practices in (9) nutritional education, (10) role modeling, (11) food provision, (12) child involvement, (13) parental supervision and (14) the cultivation of food preference. Useful strategies included incorporating healthy ingredients in adolescents’ favorite recipes and providing a variety of fruit and vegetables at home. There is a need to empower parents with practical nutrition knowledge, to be more authoritative in food parenting practices, to discuss healthy eating with children and to acquire practical skills related to time- and cost-saving healthy cooking.