Eighth International Conference on Health, Wellness & Society

Abstract

Grandparent care is the most common type of informal childcare used for preschool aged children. Despite this, little is known about the influence of this care environment on health behaviours. This study aimed to describe influences that grandparent care environments have on children’s oral health and nutrition from the perspective of grandparents and parents; identify health promotion opportunities in the grandparent care environment. Eleven semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight grandparents and five parents. Grandparents cared for their preschool aged grandchildren for at least five hours each week. Analyses were informed by the socio-ecological model of health, family systems theory and guided by grounded theory. Oral health emerged as a less emotive topic and primarily a parental responsibility compared nutrition. Past experiences, communication and mutual respect emerged as key influences on children’s nutrition and oral health. Grandparents drew on their own experiences and were conscious of the influence that their actions had on both their grandchild and the child’s parents. Parents were conscious of balancing their child’s nutritional needs whilst not denying grandparents the opportunity to play the traditional role of “treat giver.” Discussion Open communication and mutual respect between families contributes to an optimal environment for promoting young children’s health. Opportunities exist to implement simple oral health promotion strategies in the grandparent care environment, however implementing nutrition promotion strategies would prove more complex with a need to identify key aspects of the care environment before implementation.