Nutritional Beliefs and Practices of Arabic-Speaking Middle Eastern Mothers Living in the United States

Abstract

Introduction:

Culture and acculturation influence nutritional beliefs. Little is known about the Arabic population in the United States. In this study, Arabic-speaking Middle Eastern mothers’ perceptions of motherhood and childhood nutritional beliefs and practices are explored.

Method:

Semi-structured interviews with 12 mothers from Arabic-speaking Middle Eastern countries.

Results:

Food and family are central to everyday life. Mothers worked hard to maintain traditional nutritional practices with their school-age children.

Discussion:

Findings can enhance school nurses’ ability to collaborate with mothers in nutritional education and address any issues in the classroom.

Keywords

community health clinical areas maternal/child nutrition transcultural health qualitative research methods

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