Engaging with health programming in head start: Parents’ perspectives

The purpose of this study was to explore parents’ common experiences with healthy eating and physical activity-focused (HE-PA) programming in one Head Start (HS) program (two centers) in eastern North Carolina (NC). Researchers conducted 13 in-depth semi-structured telephone interviews November 2017–May 2018. Participants were parents of preschool children (4–5 years) enrolled in HS. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Phenomenology was used to guide study design and analysis to identify themes. Researchers identified seven emergent themes within three categories: (1) strategies to facilitate engagement; (2) motivators for engagement; and (3) barriers to engagement. HS facilitated engagement through HE-PA focused programming. Parents reported they were motivated by self-interest and their children, but engagement was challenged by poor communication and socioeconomic barriers. HS programs may benefit from new strategies that help parents overcome barriers to making HE-PA a priority amongst competing priorities. Research is also needed to explore new methods of communication that align with parent-reported motivations.