Different stresses: An ethnographic study of food behaviors, perceptions, and attitudes among adolescents and adults in three colonias (upper-, middle, and low-income) in the Mazatlan metropolitan area

BACKGROUND: In Mexico, incidence of obesity is among the highest worldwide. Studies have suggested that upper-income groups will (eventually) be the harbingers of behavioral change to maintain healthier body weight in developing countries. This study explores perceptions and behaviors in an upper-, middle-, and low-income community in the Mazatlan metropolitan area in order to gain a more nuanced understanding of facilitators and obstacles to healthy habits in families of different socioeconomic status (SES). METHODS: This ethnographic study employed multiple (7-11 per household) semi-structured interviews of adolescents and parents, photo elicitation, and participant observation (including grocery shopping) with 20 families of different SES, facilitating a more complete picture of eating experiences and behaviors than is often possible. RESULTS: Preliminary data analysis reveals similar and divergent themes across groups. Participants from all groups emphasize the importance of family collaboration in improved eating habits, the challenge of making time to eat breakfast before school or work, and the tendency to indulge in treats on weekends. Differences include, in the wealthier families, higher fruit and vegetable consumption, higher valuation of healthy food, more worry about obesity, more “time stress,” and more eating outside the home. Among poorer families, there was lower access to supermarkets relative to outlets for junk food, food insecurity between paychecks, a higher valuation of “tasty” food, less diet variety, and a higher consumption of poor-quality foods. DISCUSSION: These findings suggest that communities face different challenges in adopting healthier eating habits and highlight the need for community-specific obesity prevention strategies.