Assessing the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceptions of Parents and Caregivers Toward Healthy Lifestyles of Children Aged 0-2 years: ReadNPlay for a Bright Future

Introduction: Children establish their eating and activity habits in the first several years of life, making this an important time for intervention. ReadNPlay for a Bright Future is a project developed by the East Tennessee State University (ETSU) Department of Pediatrics to support healthy eating, active living, early literacy, and safety for families with young children. In the United States, many infants and toddlers do not meet recommended eating and activity behaviors. The purpose of this study is to assess attitudes, perceptions, intentions, and health behaviors of parents and caregivers regarding healthy family lifestyles in a cross-sectional study. Methods: Using the Theory of Planned Behavior, a 63-item parent/caregiver survey was developed in Qualtrics to assess attitudes, perceptions, intentions, and behaviors regarding shared reading, screen time, breastfeeding, sugary drinks consumption, fruit and vegetable intake, physical activity, dental caries, injuries, and general health status. Participants were recruited with study fliers distributed in ReadNPlay project clinics, social media sites, and events. Eligible parents/ caregivers are those who have children two years and younger who are patients in the clinics. Parents and caregivers who cannot speak/read English or Spanish and parents/caregivers of children in state custody were excluded from participation. Descriptive analysis of baseline data will be done using SPSS. Results: Data collection is ongoing. Conclusion: Data from the surveys will be used to understand how attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control influence the intentions of parents/caregivers and behaviors of young children. Survey data will be used to inform improvements in health promotion initiatives for this population