Abstract
Objective:
To identify the key features of a nutrition resource that are important to adolescents of a low socioeconomic status (SES).
Design:
Structured interviews were conducted to explore participants’ preferences relating to the features of a nutrition resource. Thematic framework analysis was used to determine key themes, subthemes and concepts from the data.
Setting:
Streetsport activity sessions, north-east of Scotland.
Participants:
Eighteen adolescents aged 12–17 years from a low socioeconomic background.
Results:
The overarching themes identified were barriers and facilitators to engagement with a nutrition resource. Adolescents expressed a preference for an app, and this was mainly attributed to convenience and low cost. There was also an emphasis on the integral role social media has in their lives. Aesthetics was a facilitator for both male and female participants, with a particular focus on weight loss. Behaviour change support, including reminders, access to simple recipes and adopting a ‘small change approach’, were identified as possible facilitators, whereas cost, environmental influences, and existing eating habits were identified as possible barriers to engaging with a nutrition resource.
Conclusions:
A number of subthemes, including aesthetics, cost and convenience, which have previously been reported in adolescents with a higher SES, were prominent in our research. The present study contributes to insights relating to behaviour change tools that should be considered when developing a nutrition resource targeting disadvantaged adolescents. Further research focusing on how mobile phone technology and social media can be utilised to support dietary behaviour change in low SES adolescents is recommended.
To identify the key features of a nutrition resource that are important to adolescents of a low socioeconomic status (SES).
Design:
Structured interviews were conducted to explore participants’ preferences relating to the features of a nutrition resource. Thematic framework analysis was used to determine key themes, subthemes and concepts from the data.
Setting:
Streetsport activity sessions, north-east of Scotland.
Participants:
Eighteen adolescents aged 12–17 years from a low socioeconomic background.
Results:
The overarching themes identified were barriers and facilitators to engagement with a nutrition resource. Adolescents expressed a preference for an app, and this was mainly attributed to convenience and low cost. There was also an emphasis on the integral role social media has in their lives. Aesthetics was a facilitator for both male and female participants, with a particular focus on weight loss. Behaviour change support, including reminders, access to simple recipes and adopting a ‘small change approach’, were identified as possible facilitators, whereas cost, environmental influences, and existing eating habits were identified as possible barriers to engaging with a nutrition resource.
Conclusions:
A number of subthemes, including aesthetics, cost and convenience, which have previously been reported in adolescents with a higher SES, were prominent in our research. The present study contributes to insights relating to behaviour change tools that should be considered when developing a nutrition resource targeting disadvantaged adolescents. Further research focusing on how mobile phone technology and social media can be utilised to support dietary behaviour change in low SES adolescents is recommended.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1716-1725 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Public Health Nutrition |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| Early online date | 27 Apr 2020 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jul 2020 |
Bibliographical note
Acknowledgements: The authors would like to thank Dr Mary Bellizzi, Dr Julia Allan, Julia Clark, Karen Tosh, Dr Heather Morgan and Neil Hendry for their contributionsduring the development of structured interview questions. We would like to thank Hannah Clews for her continued support during the Streetsport sessions, both prior to and during data collection. Additionally, we would like to thank the staff at Streetsport for their feedback on structured interview questions.
Financial support: This work was supported by the University of Aberdeen.
Keywords
- Adolescents
- Low socioeconomic status
- nutrition
- healthy eating
- resource
- app
- App
- Healthy eating
- Nutrition
- Resource
- BEHAVIOR
- KNOWLEDGE
- PREVENTION
- RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED-TRIAL
- CHILDREN
- DIETARY
- PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY
- HEALTH
- PROGRAM
- FOOD
Access to Document
- Scott_et_al_PHN_What_features_nutrition_AAM_combined
© The Authors 2020. This is the author's accepted manuscript of an article published in Public Health Nutrition. The final published version is available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980019004476.