Parents play a significant role in molding their children’s nutrition knowledge and behavior. The purpose of the present study was to explore parental influence on preschooler’s nutrition education from the perspectives of North Carolina–based Head Start coordinators and teachers. Investigators conducted 63 in-depth, structured interviews with Head Start Health/Nutrition Coordinators (n = 31) and teachers (n = 32). Interviews were recorded in digital audio format and transcribed verbatim. Following a grounded theory approach, researchers identified primary, emergent themes related to parental influence and a substantive-level model was developed. Head Start staff described parental background (i.e. nutrition knowledge, culture), socioeconomic status, food preferences and parental engagement/support of teacher provided nutrition education as the primary factors that affect preschooler’s nutrition education. The proposed theoretical model provides an initial understanding of the influence Head Start parents may have on their children’s nutrition education. The findings suggest more training and education opportunities for parents and teachers may be needed. Despite barriers, teachers and local community partners should continue to support parents in their efforts to reinforce positive nutrition messages among preschool children.

Creative strategies for addressing NE resource availability and use and barriers (eg, NE integration with educational standards) in Head Start are needed.

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Background (Background, Rationale, Prior Research, and/or Theory): Availability of healthier foods through full-service grocery stores contribute to dietary choice and risk of related chronic diseases. However, evidence is not strong that simply bringing new supermarkets to underserved neighborhoods improves food purchasing, consumption, and health outcomes of local consumers. Objective: The purpose was to identify concerns facing existing grocery stores operating outside mainstream retail food locales in making food available to low-income households within a changing global food retail environment. Study Design, Setting, Participants, Intervention:We conducted a qualitative study using research methods based on grounded theory at three research sites representing rural, village, and inner city communities in upstate New York. A naturalistic approach was used to understand the experience of running a grocery business from the perspective of grocers living and working in underserved locations. The social-ecological model framed the project. Three organizational models were examined: chain stores, franchises, and independently-owned operations. Fourteen retail owners and managers, with 28 of their customers, were recruited using purposive and theoretical sampling and then interviewed. Outcome Measures and Analysis: The constant comparative method and periodic peer debriefings led to focusing on organizational structures and locations. Analysis included coding, diagramming and matrix construction. Results: Grocers reported these concerns influencing ability to run their business: consumer demand, product management (access to wholesale distribution channels), employee and labor relations, local and global competition, access to capital, government relations at all levels. Meaningful differences were found between chain and nonchain stores in their ability to perform economic functions versus social functions important to underserved neighborhoods. Conclusions and Implications: Two grocery store operator management typologies emerged, one more capable of meeting community economic needs, the other more attuned to social needs. These appear related to chain vs. non-chain store structure. By familiarizing themselves with what grocers need in order to stay in business, those advocating for retail food availability in underserved areas can better support existing stores. Funding: USDA, NIH.