AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To highlight what was important to parents with respect to consultation groups at well-child clinics. BACKGROUND: Parents managing of their role as parents affect the child's health and are therefore an important priority for public health. Well-child clinics in Norway practise consultations in groups to support parents and to facilitate social network; however, few studies explore parents' perspective of this kind of groups. DESIGN: Grounded theory. METHODS: We used classical grounded theory with a generative and constant comparative approach. Data were collected through seven focus groups and two individual interviews with the parents of children aged 8-15 months. RESULTS: The parents were most concerned about how to achieve connection without accountability and how to obtain relevant health information. They managed this by 'multipositioning', encompassing the strategies of: (1) practising conditional openness, (2) seeking to belong, (3) awaiting initiative and (4) expecting balanced health information. The use of these strategies explains how they resolved their challenges. CONCLUSION: Parental groups seem to be popular and have great potential to establish a social network; however, underestimating the need for structure and continuity in the groups might cause this opportunity to be missed. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Understanding parents' perspectives will be useful when planning strategies to strengthen parental groups at well-child clinics and that the engaged organisers will account for this need to ensure public health work of high quality and effectiveness for parents.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To highlight what was important to parents with respect to consultation groups at well-child clinics. BACKGROUND: Parents managing of their role as parents affect the child's health and are therefore an important priority for public health. Well-child clinics in Norway practise consultations in groups to support parents and to facilitate social network; however, few studies explore parents' perspective of this kind of groups. DESIGN: Grounded theory. METHODS: We used classical grounded theory with a generative and constant comparative approach. Data were collected through seven focus groups and two individual interviews with the parents of children aged 8-15 months. RESULTS: The parents were most concerned about how to achieve connection without accountability and how to obtain relevant health information. They managed this by 'multipositioning', encompassing the strategies of: (1) practising conditional openness, (2) seeking to belong, (3) awaiting initiative and (4) expecting balanced health information. The use of these strategies explains how they resolved their challenges. CONCLUSION: Parental groups seem to be popular and have great potential to establish a social network; however, underestimating the need for structure and continuity in the groups might cause this opportunity to be missed. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Understanding parents' perspectives will be useful when planning strategies to strengthen parental groups at well-child clinics and that the engaged organisers will account for this need to ensure public health work of high quality and effectiveness for parents.