Case Study 335 Jurnal Keperawatan Padjadjaran, Volume 12, Issue 3, December 2024 Unresponsive feeding practices in overweight and obese suburban preschool-aged children: A qualitative case study Astuti Astuti 1 , Karina Megasari Winahyu 2* , Zulia Putri Perdani 2 , Susheewa W Mulmuang 3 , Kartini Kartini 4 1 Pediatric Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia 2 Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitas Muhammadiyah Tangerang, Indonesia 3 Department of Nursing, Boromarajonani College of Nursing Nopparat Vajira, Thailand 4 Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitas Esa Unggul, Indonesia Abstract Background: Irresponsible feeding behavior is the cause of being overweight in early childhood. Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the dietary habits of preschool- aged children residing in a suburban region of Indonesia characterized by a significant prevalence of obesity among children aged five and below. Methods: This study was a case study design conducted in South Tangerang, Banten Province, Indonesia, involving six moms who had toddlers with overweight to obese nutritional status. The number of six participants was decided after the saturation coding of the fifth participant, and then one more participant was interviewed to ensure that the data was genuinely saturated. The mothers were selected to participate in the study and were interviewed in depth. The researcher also observed the participants’ eating behavior. The analytical framework was used in this research, and then the interview transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: The four themes found were 1) The inability to respond to internal cues of satiety, 2) Distraction at mealtimes, 3) Unhealthy food in emotional eating, and 4) Mothers practice persuasive feeding. Conclusion: The children show unresponsive feeding behavior, which notably contributes to the prevalence of overnutrition during early childhood. Community health professionals should strengthen their efforts to improve feeding behaviors among mothers to address the nutritional status of preschool-aged children. Keywords: children; feeding behavior; obesity; overweight; preschool-aged Introduction Obesity, a multifaceted and increasingly prevalent health problem, is becoming more common among younger age groups, including toddlers and preschool-aged children. The historical factors contributing to obesity in early children include genetic predisposition, socioeconomic situations, and lifestyle choices (Sahoo et al., 2015). However, an additional crucial element in the formation of obesity is feeding practices. (Redsell et al., 2021). A technique that has garnered significant attention is known as “responsive feeding.” Responsive feeding is a principle that aims to develop a harmonious caregiving strategy where food is given to a child based on their hunger cues (Black & Aboud, 2011). However, if misunderstood or misused, it can unintentionally worsen the occurrence of obesity. Proper nutrition has a crucial role in the development of preschool-aged children by promoting physical growth and influencing long-term food habits. Responsive feeding is a belief that preschool-aged children have intrinsic abilities to manage their food intake spontaneously (Pérez-Escamilla et al., OPEN ACCESS Jurnal Keperawatan Padjadjaran (JKP) Volume 12(3), 335-344 © The Author(s) 2024 http://dx.doi.org/10.24198/jkp. v12i3.2524 Article Info Received : March 12, 2024 Revised : September 22, 2024 Accepted : October 02, 2024 Published : December 25, 2024 *Corresponding author Karina Megasari Winahyu* Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Science, Universitas Muhammadiyah Tangerang, Tangerang City, Banten, Indone- sia 15118; Address: Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan I No.33, RT.007/ RW.003, Babakan, Cikokol, Kec. Tangerang, Kota Tangerang, Bant- en 15118; E-mail: karinawinahyu@ yahoo.com Citation Astuti, A., Winahyu, K.M., Putri, Z.P., Mulmuang, S.P., & Kartini, K. (2024). Unresponsive feeding practices in overweight and obese suburban preschool-aged children: A qualitative case study. Jurnal Keperawatan Padjadjaran, 12(3), 335-344. http://dx.doi.org/10.24198/ jkp.v12i3.2524 Website http://jkp.fkep.unpad.ac.id/index. php/jkp This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non- Commercial 4.0 International License. E-ISSN: 2442-7276 P-ISSN: 2338-5324