SPROUT
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Supporting Parental Responsive Feeding for Optimal Understanding of Thriving child development
IRAS ID
354893
Contact name
Cara Ruggiero
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Cambridge
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 10 months, 31 days
Research summary
Summary of Research
This qualitative study seeks to explore the perspectives of parents and healthcare professionals regarding the intersection of food insecurity and feeding practices in early life. By leveraging lived experiences, the study aims to identify barriers and facilitators to responsive feeding within the context of economic hardship. Findings will inform future interventions and contribute to the development of tailored strategies to support families, ensuring that recommendations are relevant, practical, and feasible for all socio-economic groups.
Participants: Parents of infants 3-12 months of age and NHS healthcare professionals that are part of the Cambridge and Peterborough Healthy Child Programme through Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust.
Number of participants: Approximately 30 mothers and 20 healthcare professionals
How will participants be recruited: We have an existing partnership with the Clinical Leads at the Healthy Child Programme and they have offered to distribute recruitment materials: to parents at clinics and at home visits; and for staff recruitment , distribute flyers and allow the research team to present in person at team meetings.
Data collection:
Consent and demographic information will be collected by an online form (using REDCap). Focus groups will be conducted on Microsoft Teams with parents between 3-12 months post partum and healthcare professionals (e.g., health visitors, infant feeding advisors, nursery nurses). Three focus groups will be conducted with parents and 2 will be conducted with healthcare professionals.
Summary of Results
Our preliminary themes have revealed that parents’ infant feeding practices are heavily influenced by a wide range of structural and social factors. Rising food costs limit the affordability of nutritious formula and food, impacts parents's ability to follow best practices. Parents also described confusion caused by food labels, making it difficult for them to understand what is healthy and appropriate for their child. In addition, advice from family members can encourage non‑responsive feeding, where feeding is driven by adult cues rather than the infant’s hunger and fullness signals, highlighting the importance of whole-family engagement. We have also found that food insecurity affects parental mental health, contributing to emotional or stress-related feeding practices.
REC name
East of England - Cambridge East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/EE/0106
Date of REC Opinion
15 May 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion