Research spotlight: Vegan Mothers

A study by Eliza Jones and Dr Amy Burton exploring vegan mothers’ experiences of making food choices for infants and young children.

 

Objective

The study aimed to explore vegan mothers’ experiences and decision-making processes when feeding their children (up to 3 years old).

Methods

We conducted a qualitative photo-elicitation interview study in the United Kingdom. Eight vegan mothers provided 5 photographs of food choices they had made for their children and completed online photo-elicitation interviews to discuss these images. Data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Results

Five themes were developed:

  • role modelling eating behaviour,
  • shared decision-making,
  • nutritional guidance for vegan parents,
  • fear of judgment for being vegan,
  • desire for convenience.

Conclusions and Implications

Findings illustrate the complexity of the decision-making process and highlight the need for targeted resources for vegan parents. There is a need for awareness raising and training for health care professionals and the development of vegan-specific child-feeding resources to facilitate the provision of evidence-based nutritional guidance for vegan parents.

 

This article is republished under a Creative Commons license. Read the full research article: Exploring Vegan Mothers’ Experiences of Making Food Choices for Infants and Young Children - ScienceDirect

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