Perceptions of tap water associated with low-income Michigan mothers’ and young children’s beverage intake

Abstract

Objective: To quantify perceptions of tap water among low-income mothers with young children residing in Michigan and examine associations between perceptions of tap water, mothers’ and young children’s beverage intake, and mothers’ infant feeding practices. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Online survey. Participants: Medicaid-insured individuals who had given birth at a large Midwestern US hospital between fall 2016 and fall 2020 were invited by email to complete a survey in winter 2020 (N=3,881); 15.6% (N=606) completed eligibility screening, 550 (90.8%) were eligible to participate, and 500 (90.9%) provided valid survey data regarding perceptions of tap water, self and child beverage intake, and infant feeding practices. Results: Two-thirds (66.2%) of mothers reported that their home tap water was safe to drink without a filter while 21.6% were unsure about the safety of their home tap water. Mothers’ perceptions of their home tap water were associated with their own tap and bottled water intake and their young children’s tap water and bottled water intake. Mothers with more negative perceptions of tap water in general, independent of their perceptions about their home tap water, consumed more bottled water and sugar-sweetened beverages, and their young children drank bottled water and fruit drinks more frequently. Few associations were observed between mothers’ perceptions of tap water and infant feeding practices. Conclusions: Uncertainty about tap water safety and negative perceptions of tap water are common among low-income Michigan mothers. These beliefs may contribute to less healthful and more costly beverage intake among mothers and their young children.

Targeting food parenting practices to prevent early child obesity risk requires a different approach in families with a lower socioeconomic position

“…Besides food cost, lack of (nutrition) knowledge and time are often reported barriers toward healthy eating and weight status ( 39 ) that are more frequently reported among parents from lower SEP ( 31 , 40 ). In addition, although parents from lower SEP, like parents from higher SEP, have more positive attitudes toward healthy food choices ( 41 ), healthfulness misperceptions are more common among “low-income” parents and appear to contribute to frequent provision of unhealthy dietary products to children ( 42 – 44 ). Moreover, families from lower SEP more often live in unhealthy neighborhoods with fast-food stores and less opportunities to buy healthy groceries, impacting food parenting practices, children's dietary intake, and weight development ( 45 , 46 ).…”