Statement of Problem

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 14% of U.S. children ages 2-5 are obese, increasing their risk of health complications and obesity later in life. Having an unhealthy diet is a key risk factor for developing obesity in childhood, and we know that parents play a significant role in establishing eating patterns in young children. However, encouraging and supporting nutritious eating among children—which can mean, for example, consuming a variety of fruits, vegetables, carbohydrates, and fats and limiting sugar-sweetened beverages—may be a challenge for some caregivers. In fact, parental stress can contribute to their children having poorer diet quality and obesity.

In addition, low-income families may experience disproportionately high levels of stress due to adverse neighborhood factors such as crime, which may lead to stress-related consumption of unhealthy foods. Alternatively, living in neighborhoods with supportive social environments may act as a barrier to the effects of stress and promote healthier eating patterns. A growing body of evidence also suggests that obesity tracks across generations, underscoring the importance of examining diet from an intergenerational perspective.

Identifying how social and environmental factors impact early childhood diet is essential to promoting child health and well-being. However, few studies have examined the link between neighborhood social factors (e.g., crime, perceived safety, collective efficacy) and diet, and to our knowledge, no prior studies have examined associations of the neighborhood social environment with dietary quality among low-income preschool-aged children from an intergenerational perspective.