Elaborating Factors Affecting Maternal Nutritional Behavior; A Qualitative Approach

Introduction: Excessive consumption of confectionary can contribute to a high intake of sugar, fat and energy which lead to tooth decay, weight gain or obesity and related metabolic diseases. This study conducted to identify the effective factors on mothers’ nutrition behavior (reduction of confectionary consumption) on the basis of health action process approach.

Methods: This qualitative research has been conducted through Directed Content Analysis. Data were collected through semi structured interviews. Participants were mothers who had at least one child over 6 months and consumed all sorts of confectionary. The collected data were analyzed according to Granheim and Landman's method.

Results: The analysis of the interviews data resulted in 87 codes. The codes were organized into 6 categories and 26 subcategories and the 5 main themes are as follows: action planning, coping planning, action control, maintenance self-efficacy and social support

Conclusion: Our study suggested that one of the community supports is media education and it should be considered in implementing community-based educational programs