What influences parents’ decisions to choose dairy or plant-based dairy alternatives for their preschoolers?
What influences parents’ decisions to choose dairy or plant-based dairy alternatives for their preschoolers?
This study explored the factors that influence parents’ decisions to provide dairy and plant-based dairy alternatives (PBDA) to preschool-aged children, helping identify opportunities to support healthier food choices.
What We Did and Why We Did It
We conducted focus groups with 32 parents of preschool-aged children from the Guelph Family Health Study and the Family Food Skills Study. Parents discussed their experiences, beliefs, and concerns about providing dairy and plant-based dairy alternatives, and researchers analyzed these conversations to identify common barriers and facilitators.
As plant-based dairy alternatives become more popular, it is important to understand why parents choose dairy, PBDA, or both for their young children. Since these products are not always nutritionally equivalent, understanding parents’ decision-making can help improve nutrition education and support healthy childhood diets.
What We Found
What We Can Learn From This
Parents chose both dairy and PBDA because they believed they offered nutritional benefits and added variety to their children’s diets. Dairy was also valued for its taste, familiarity, convenience, and availability of child-friendly products. Common concerns for both included cost, environmental impact, and sugar content. Parents also expressed unique concerns about dairy production practices, antibiotics, and hormones, while concerns about PBDA included processing, pesticides, and nutritional quality.
Nutrition education should help parents understand that dairy and plant-based dairy alternatives are not always nutritionally equivalent. Providing clear guidance on choosing affordable, low-sugar, nutrient-rich options and explaining how to replace dairy appropriately can help families make informed decisions that support children’s growth and development.
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