Nutrition Literacy Programming and Issues Surrounding the Conceptualizations and Definitions of Healthy

• In Event: 322 - Section on Medical Sociology Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable: Section on Medical Sociology Roundtables. Table 01. Aging and Health

Abstract

The objective of this research was to characterize the food environment in urban neighborhoods from the perspective of senior residents of Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) public housing. Semi-structured, qualitative interviews were conducted for approximately 17 senior (50+) residents, along with interviews with key neighborhood informants, housing authority employees, 4 years of field notes and observations. Residents were from three different housing units, both mixed family and senior dedicated, in the Cleveland area, and a node-based sampling design was utilized.

A disjuncture exists between the current thinking involved in behavioral interventions in public health and the reality of intervention studies within underserved areas. In recent years, there have been numerous calls for more effective nutrition education to reach low income, ethnically diverse populations (e.g. Strolla et al. 2005). As such, debates in the field have surfaced on whether behavior changes can be achieved with only basic nutrition education or if more comprehensive efforts tailored to the individual would be more effective. Further the growing concern is now that nutrition education programs may be focusing on the wrong things and may be too technical for urban residents to comprehend. This chapter looks at these three points and aims to answer the question: how does a low-income population, a typical target for nutrition education programs, actually define healthy and healthy eating? The information gained by this study—focusing on senior residents’ views on healthy and healthy eating—may help interventionists design programs that lead to actual behavior change.

Author

• Melinda Laroco Boehm, Case Western Reserve University