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.
Keywords: clinical areas; community health; maternal/child; nutrition; qualitative; research methods; transcultural health.