Nutritional Beliefs and Practices of Arabic-Speaking Middle Eastern Mothers Living in the United States.

Introduction: Culture and acculturation influence nutritional beliefs. Little is known about the Arabic population in the United States. In this study, Arabic-speaking Middle Eastern mothers' perceptions of motherhood and childhood nutritional beliefs and practices are explored.

Method: Semi-structured interviews with 12 mothers from Arabic-speaking Middle Eastern countries.

Results: Food and family are central to everyday life. Mothers worked hard to maintain traditional nutritional practices with their school-age children.

Discussion: Findings can enhance school nurses' ability to collaborate with mothers in nutritional education and address any issues in the classroom.