Abstract：
Background: Childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health epidemics of the 21st century. Observational studies report that increases in portion size (PS) have occurred in parallel with levels of obesity. Increased PSs of high-energy-dense foods can promote overeating, and without compensatory behaviours, can contribute to childhood obesity. Caregivers make decisions about PSs for children in the home and nursery environment, thus are gatekeepers to child food intake. Understanding caregiver PS decisions can aid in the best practice of PS provision to young children. The aim of this study was to explore parent and nursery staff influences on child PS selection and their suggestions for useful tools/strategies in PS decisions. Methods: A qualitative design was employed using focus group discussions (FGDs) with parents and nursery staff of children aged 3-5 years. FGDs were employed given their ability to generate rich data, as well as permit the exploration of collective perceptions, attitudes, behaviours and experiences. Data were analysed using an inductive, semantic approach to reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Four FGDs were conducted: two with parents (n = 13), two with nursery staff (n = 17). Four overarching themes were derived: (i) awareness of PS guidelines; (ii) control over PS; (iii) social influences on children\'s eating behaviours; (iv) child-specific, social and external factors influencing parent and nursery staff PS decisions. Additionally, participants discussed tools/strategies they believe would be useful in PS decisions. Conclusion: Data from the themes suggest that caregiver control, social, child-specific and external factors are more influential than PS guidelines in both parent and nursery staff PS decisions for young children aged 3-5 years. These findings can inform future childhood obesity prevention initiatives focussed on improving parent and nursery staff provision/use of age-appropriate PSs.
摘要：
背景：儿童肥胖是21世纪最严重的公共卫生流行病之一。观察性研究报告称，份量（PS）的增加与肥胖水平同时发生。高能量密集食物的PS增加可以促进暴饮暴食，没有补偿行为，会导致儿童肥胖。护理人员在家庭和托儿所环境中为儿童做出关于PS的决定，因此是儿童食物摄入的看门人。了解护理人员的PS决定可以帮助为幼儿提供PS的最佳实践。这项研究的目的是探讨父母和托儿所工作人员对儿童PS选择的影响，以及他们对PS决策中有用工具/策略的建议。方法：采用定性设计，与3-5岁儿童的父母和托儿所工作人员进行焦点小组讨论（FGD）。FGD被采用，因为它们有能力生成丰富的数据，以及允许探索集体观念，态度，行为和经验。数据使用感应分析，反身主题分析的语义方法。结果：进行了四个FGD：两个与父母（n=13），两个有托儿所工作人员(n=17)。得出四个总体主题：（i）对PS指南的认识；（ii）对PS的控制；（iii）对儿童饮食行为的社会影响；（iv）针对儿童的，影响父母和托儿所工作人员PS决策的社会和外部因素。此外,参与者讨论了他们认为对PS决策有用的工具/策略。结论：来自主题的数据表明，护理人员控制，社会,对于3-5岁的幼儿，在父母和托儿所工作人员的PS决策中，儿童特异性和外部因素比PS指南更有影响力。这些发现可以为未来的儿童肥胖预防举措提供信息，重点是改善父母和托儿所工作人员提供/使用适合年龄的PS。
