Qualitative analysis of healthy eating attitudes among self-sufficient shelter residents

ABSTRACT

Access and feasibility are strong barriers to healthy eating and prevalent among individuals in the lowest income bracket. While studies have addressed ways policymakers can alleviate these issues, more qualitative research is needed to understand food access in these populations. To assess nutrition beliefs and behaviors, this study recruited 31 self-sufficient shelter residents (individuals within 3 months of a stable life situation) to complete a brief survey on food attitudes, stage of change, and participate in focus groups. The sample was predominantly Black (48.4%, n = 15), male (48.4%, n = 15), and employed (53.3%, n = 16). We examined survey responses and used NVivo to identify themes from the focus groups. Qualitative analysis revealed participants distrusted food companies/government, lacked specific knowledge for healthy eating, felt little control to be healthier, yet desired to acquire the knowledge and resources to be healthier. Future qualitative research should probe health theory components, specifically how distrust and health willingness influence healthy-eating behavior with larger samples of individuals with low income.

KEYWORDS:

• Low-income
• focus groups
• qualitative
• self-sufficient
• nutrition

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Raj Patel, Celine Pham, Kennedie Dome, Ahlita Saengchan, Natasha Rose Buxton, Hira Mohammed, and Abigail Smith for helping with focus group data collection, cleaning, and interpretation.

Some of these findings were previously described in a Master’s Thesis entitled “Testing Theories and Measures for Promoting Dietary Change,” but we did not formally submit findings to any journals before this.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Funding & Disclosure statement

This work was partially supported by research funds from our Department of Psychology.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Shane A. Snyder

Shane Snyder studied psychology and nutrition as an undergraduate and has experience in nutrition-related research and public health. He has conducted studies on health behaviors and health behavior change in lower-income, older and, clinical populations. He earned a master’s degree and Ph.D. in experimental health psychology. His teaching experience consists of Introduction to Psychology, Health Psychology, and Statistics courses. Through his background and teaching experience, he has developed research interests in stress, nutrition, health behaviors (primarily physical activity and diet), and psychological influences.

Angela Liegey Dougall

Angela Liegey Dougall, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor at The University of Texas at Arlington. She is an expert in the field of stress and health outcomes. Her lines of programmatic research focus on identifying biological, psychological, behavioral, and social mechanisms and risk factors for outcomes, such as behavior change, physical and mental health, and academic performance. She has conducted research with numerous populations, including students, student-athletes, victims of traumatic events, and patients with chronic and life-threatening diseases, such as cancer, chronic pain conditions, and cardiometabolic diseases.