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Abstract
Obesity rates among Native American individuals are greater than any other ethnic group living in the United States. This disparity begins to develop in early childhood, and the excess weight carried by Native American children contributes to health conditions that can affect their quality of life by the time they enter preschool. These children consume less than recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables, a dietary pattern that is related to the development of obesity and other health conditions. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore the fruit and vegetable consumption of Native American toddlers between the ages of two and five years old through use of the Information Motivation Behavioral Skills (IMB) Model. Qualitative research with parents of Native American children and key stakeholders in Native American communities first investigated perceptions of knowledge, motivational and behavioral skills related to the fruit and vegetable consumption of Native American toddlers. Findings from the qualitative research was then used to develop an IMB Model-based quantitative assessment tool, which was administered with a fruit and vegetable food frequency questionnaire. From the quantitative phase, it was determined that caregiver fruit and vegetable-related behavioral skills was significantly associated with child fruit and vegetable intake, caregiver fruit and vegetable-related motivation was significantly associated with caregiver fruit and vegetable-related behavioral skills and caregiver fruit and vegetable-related information was significantly associated with caregiver fruit and vegetable-related motivation. Caregiver fruit and vegetable motivation was significantly associated with child fruit and vegetable intake via an indirect pathway and was mediated by caregiver fruit and vegetable-related behavioral skills. The quantitative phase provided validation of the qualitative findings and suggested that the IMB model may serve as a useful aid in developing fruit and vegetable-focused interventions for the Native American population.
