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Minority children living in under-resourced communities are at the greatest risk for obesity and poor diet quality. Child involvement in meal preparation may be a helpful strategy to improve diet quality. This paper explores minority children’s perspectives regarding this. Eighteen children participated in a mixed methods study (online surveys, telephone interviews). Descriptive statistics were calculated for child demographic and psychosocial factors. Thematic analysis was used to code and analyze the interviews. Most children reported having cooking experience (83%) and cooking with family (94%) and exhibited high cooking self-efficacy (21.8 ± 2.9) and positive cooking attitudes (25.7 ± 4.4). Children reported helping with meal preparation (50%) and grocery shopping (41%) sometimes. The qualitative data further supported the results obtained from the children’s psychosocial factors. Most children noted the importance of learning to cook with an emphasis on life skills. Children also shared their level of involvement in cooking and grocery shopping. Most children reported using technology when cooking to find demonstration videos and recipes. These findings highlight that minority children participate in meal preparation and grocery shopping. Their perspectives are important for the development of nutrition education programs to achieve equitable dietary outcomes in minority families living in under-resourced communities.

Minority children and children living in under-resourced households are at the greatest risk for obesity and diet-related disparities. Identifying effective strategies to reduce these risks is an important step in child obesity prevention. Parents influence the home environment and play a critical role in child obesity prevention. Eighteen parent–child dyads living in under-resourced Houston area communities participated in a mixed methods study (online surveys, telephone interviews). The purpose of the research reported here was to conduct a secondary analysis of the qualitative data to explore Black/African American and Hispanic parent and child perspectives of the ways in which parents could help their children make healthy food choices. Descriptive statistics were calculated for parent and child demographic characteristics, hybrid thematic analysis was used to code and analyze the interview transcripts. Frequencies were calculated for children’s interview responses to rating scales and the grade they gave their eating habits. Mothers’ responses were grouped into two broad categories: facilitators (modeling, availability, and teaching) as ways parents could help their child eat healthy, and barriers (lack of time, cost of healthy foods, and lack of knowledge) to helping their child eat healthy. Alternatively, child responses focused on ways in which parents could provide support: environmental support (home availability, home cooking, and introducing new foods) and personal support (providing child choice, teaching, and encouragement). Most children reported that eating healthy was easy, and most rated their personal eating habits as an A or B. These findings suggest that understanding the perspectives of Black/African American and Hispanic parent–child dyads can provide insight into the development of culturally and economically relevant healthy eating strategies and interventions for families living in under-resourced communities.

Families living in under-resourced communities are at risk of obesity and obesity-related chronic diseases. To develop effective interventions, it is important to identify parent and child perspectives of factors that influence food-related choices and decisions. This paper reports qualitative findings from a larger mixed method study investigating this topic. Hybrid thematic analysis was used to code and analyze the interviews. Family-generated photographs of factors influencing food choices were discussed during the interviews. Qualitative findings were organized by the socio-ecological model. Verbatim quotes and photographs were used to support themes. Thirty-six interviews were conducted (18 parents, 18 children). Findings from parents revealed personal (e.g., culture, beliefs, time), family (e.g., mother, child, father, health, finances, cohesiveness), environmental (e.g., availability, convenience, cost), and other (e.g., school food) factors influenced food choices. Similarly, child-reported influences were personal (e.g., preferences, beliefs, taste), family (e.g., mother, family encouragement, father, family time), social (e.g., school, friends), environmental (e.g., availability), and other (e.g., media, sports). The socio-ecological model provided a useful framework for identifying factors that influence food choices and decisions of families living in under-resourced communities. A deeper understanding of these factors could enhance both responsiveness and effectiveness of interventions to enhance diet and reduce obesity risk in families living in under-resourced communities.