267798 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

Wednesday, October 31, 2012 : 11:30 AM - 11:50 AM

Susan Bridle-Fitzpatrick, PhD Cand , Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver, Denver, CO
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.

Learning Areas:
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Chronic disease management and prevention
Diversity and culture
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
1. Identify the similarities and differences in perceptions about food and diet among upper-, middle-, and low-income urban Mexican adolescents and adults; 2. Compare the physical, social, and economic factors that influence the food and drink purchasing and consumption behaviors of teenagers and parents of different socioeconomic status; 3. Describe the utility of ethnographic methodology in describing social and environmental contexts of eating behaviors; and 4. Identify opportunities and challenges for targeted interventions to improve eating behaviors and decrease obesity in distinct communities.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the principal investigator responsible for this research, which has the support of multiple institutions of the Mexican federal government and Mazatlan local government.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.