TY - JOUR
T1 - Australian early childhood educators and infant feeding
T2 - a qualitative analysis using social cognitive theory
AU - McGuire, Julianne
AU - Irvine, Susan
AU - Smith, Julie
AU - Gallegos, Danielle
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services are vital in the establishment of optimal infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices and long-term health. This qualitative study, informed by Social Cognitive Theory, aimed to describe ECEC infant feeding environments. Nineteen formal long day care and family day care ECEC services and 124 educators in metropolitan and regional Queensland, Australia participated in interviews and professional conversations. Inductive and deductive analysis identified three key themes: ‘agency’, ‘IYCF environment’, and ‘monitoring/surveillance’. This research has identified the key environmental, behavioural and cognitive factors that contribute to optimal IYCF practices in Australian ECEC. Tensions and negotiation between educators, parents, infants and the regulatory framework operate to develop collective agency. Key recommendations are: increasing the visibility of infants in ECEC policy frameworks and building educator and parent self-efficacy in supporting infant agency in order to meet shared goals related to optimal infant health and well-being.
AB - Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services are vital in the establishment of optimal infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices and long-term health. This qualitative study, informed by Social Cognitive Theory, aimed to describe ECEC infant feeding environments. Nineteen formal long day care and family day care ECEC services and 124 educators in metropolitan and regional Queensland, Australia participated in interviews and professional conversations. Inductive and deductive analysis identified three key themes: ‘agency’, ‘IYCF environment’, and ‘monitoring/surveillance’. This research has identified the key environmental, behavioural and cognitive factors that contribute to optimal IYCF practices in Australian ECEC. Tensions and negotiation between educators, parents, infants and the regulatory framework operate to develop collective agency. Key recommendations are: increasing the visibility of infants in ECEC policy frameworks and building educator and parent self-efficacy in supporting infant agency in order to meet shared goals related to optimal infant health and well-being.
KW - early education and care
KW - efficacy
KW - Infant feeding
KW - nutrition
KW - social cognitive Theory
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85070295908&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/03004430.2019.1647188
DO - 10.1080/03004430.2019.1647188
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85070295908
SN - 0300-4430
VL - 191
SP - 773
EP - 788
JO - Early Child Development and Care
JF - Early Child Development and Care
IS - 5
ER -
