Using Projective Techniques to Consider the Societal Dimension of Healthy Practices: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

A photo-elicitation and a collage construction technique provide insights into citizens of the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) awareness of the negative effects of fast-food consumption, the relationship between awareness and UAE fast-food consumption, and the discourses used by the UAE when resisting fast-food consumption. The study draws on two disciplinary backdrops: risk awareness and resistance to behavioral change. The findings show that risk awareness campaigns should not solely be linked to bodily concerns but need to develop messages that relate to the target audience within its social, political, and economic context. What this means conceptually is that health is no longer restricted to the individual microlevel dimension but rather emerges from the dialectical interplay between taking care of one's self and taking care of one's society.

KEYWORDS:

• Dubai
• behavioral change
• obesity
• fast food
• risk awareness
• United Arab Emirates