The goal of the current study is to identify how perceptions of the FWC and water supply safety impact the child feeding beliefs and behaviors of Black mothers from Ypsilanti, Michigan, a low-income community one hour from Flint. This goal will be accomplished by completion of two study objectives: (1) Conduct in-depth interviews and a focus group among Ypsilanti’s community leaders to identify themes regarding how the perceptions of the FWC and water supply safety have affected how Black mothers feed their children, and (2) Identify associations between perceptions of the FWC and water supply safety, and water-related child feeding practices (e.g., formula use, provision of juice) among Black mothers of children 0- to 5-years-old from Ypsilanti. To achieve Objective 2, the survey informed by the analysis of data obtained from Objective 1 will be administered to a total of 120 Black mothers of children ages 0 through 5 living in Ypsilanti. Data will be cleaned and univariate statistics will be calculated to identify the prevalence of concern regarding the FWC, distrust of the water supply, and use of water-related child feeding practices. Bivariate statistics, and linear and logistic regression models accounting for mothers’ socio-demographic characteristics, maternal beverage intake, child age, and within-family correlations, will then be used to identify cross-sectional associations between these constructs. Study findings will identify strategies to support nutrition and health among young Black children from families experiencing water safety stress and concern.
Start Date: July 2019
ID #: CAS054
Organization: University of Michigan
Project Lead: Katherine Bauer, PhD, MS
Race/Ethnicity: African American or Black
Focus Area: Beverages
Resource Type: Commissioned Research Project Summary
State: Michigan
Age Groups: Pregnant women, infants and toddlers (ages 0 to 2), Preschool-age children (ages 3 to 5)
Keyword: Water
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