Table 2.

Key messages and areas that need further research based on study results

Key messages from this study that nurses could share with Latino families:	Key areas that need further research:
Provide information, guidance and support to Latino mothers about healthy eating and healthy weight prior, during, and after pregnancy. Provide support and encouragement if families are struggling with weight gain and obesity. Inquire about current child feeding practices and address them within the context of the family. Understand the important roles that cultural and familial influences and economic constraints may have on child feeding practices and beliefs. Emphasize to parents and extended family members (i.e. grandmother) that they play a very important role in preventing childhood obesity by developing a home environment that fosters healthful eating behaviors at an early age. Ask parents what current health goals they have for themselves and for their children, and try to incorporate these goals into the conversation. Provide guidance to parents on setting family goals around health and not necessarily weight. Provide specific details about potentially harmful yet well-intended practices that can increase children’s risk of overweight. Provide parents with knowledge and skills on healthy eating, eating to satiation, physical activity and other positive lifestyle changes. Encourage parents in their efforts.	How to approach incorrect child weight perceptions in a culturally sensitive manner. How to create motivating educational strategies around healthy family nutrition while taking into consideration cultural and socioeconomic influences. How to incorporate “culturally mediated” pathways in education and intervention to address mothers’ feeding practices among low-income, Latino population groups. Develop quantitative measures of maternal beliefs and practices related to child feeding that take into account every day socio-cultural influences on low-income, Latino mothers suitable for administering in organizational settings such as the WIC Program.

Key messages from this study that nurses could share with Latino families:

Key areas that need further research:

Provide information, guidance and support to Latino mothers about healthy eating and healthy weight prior, during, and after pregnancy.
Provide support and encouragement if families are struggling with weight gain and obesity.
Inquire about current child feeding practices and address them within the context of the family.
Understand the important roles that cultural and familial influences and economic constraints may have on child feeding practices and beliefs.
Emphasize to parents and extended family members (i.e. grandmother) that they play a very important role in preventing childhood obesity by developing a home environment that fosters healthful eating behaviors at an early age.
Ask parents what current health goals they have for themselves and for their children, and try to incorporate these goals into the conversation.
Provide guidance to parents on setting family goals around health and not necessarily weight.
Provide specific details about potentially harmful yet well-intended practices that can increase children’s risk of overweight.
Provide parents with knowledge and skills on healthy eating, eating to satiation, physical activity and other positive lifestyle changes.
Encourage parents in their efforts.

How to approach incorrect child weight perceptions in a culturally sensitive manner.
How to create motivating educational strategies around healthy family nutrition while taking into consideration cultural and socioeconomic influences.
How to incorporate “culturally mediated” pathways in education and intervention to address mothers’ feeding practices among low-income, Latino population groups.
Develop quantitative measures of maternal beliefs and practices related to child feeding that take into account every day socio-cultural influences on low-income, Latino mothers suitable for administering in organizational settings such as the WIC Program.