Sedibe Heather M, Kahn Kathleen, Edin Kerstin, Gitau Tabitha, Ivarsson Anneli, Norris Shane A
MRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, Johannesburg, South Africa.
BMC Pediatr. 2014 Aug 26;14:211. doi: 10.1186/1471-2431-14-211.
Dietary behaviours and physical activity are modifiable risk factors to address increasing levels of obesity among children and adolescents, and consequently to reduce later cardiovascular and metabolic disease. This paper explores perceptions, attitudes, barriers, and facilitators related to healthy eating and physical activity among adolescent girls in rural South Africa.
A qualitative study was conducted in the rural Agincourt subdistrict, covered by a health and sociodemographic surveillance system, in Mpumalanga province, South Africa. Semistructured "duo-interviews" were carried out with 11 pairs of adolescent female friends aged 16 to 19 years. Thematic content analysis was used.
The majority of participants considered locally grown and traditional foods, especially fruits and vegetables, to be healthy. Their consumption was limited by availability, and these foods were often sourced from family or neighbourhood gardens. Female caregivers and school meal programmes facilitated healthy eating practices. Most participants believed in the importance of breakfast, even though for the majority, limited food within the household was a barrier to eating breakfast before going to school. The majority cited limited accessibility as a major barrier to healthy eating, and noted the increasing intake of "convenient and less healthy foods". Girls were aware of the benefits of physical activity and engaged in various physical activities within the home, community, and schools, including household chores, walking long distances to school, traditional dancing, and extramural activities such as netball and soccer.
The findings show widespread knowledge about healthy eating and the benefits of consuming locally grown and traditional food items in a population that is undergoing nutrition transition. Limited access and food availability are strong barriers to healthy eating practices. School meal programmes are an important facilitator of healthy eating, and breakfast provision should be considered as an extension of the meal programme. Walking to school, cultural dance, and extramural activities can be encouraged and thus are useful facilitators for increasing physical activity among rural adolescent girls, where the prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing.
饮食行为和身体活动是可改变的风险因素，有助于应对儿童和青少年中不断上升的肥胖水平，从而降低日后患心血管疾病和代谢疾病的风险。本文探讨了南非农村地区少女对健康饮食和身体活动的看法、态度、障碍及促进因素。
在南非姆普马兰加省由健康和社会人口监测系统覆盖的阿金库尔农村分区开展了一项定性研究。对11对年龄在16至19岁的少女朋友进行了半结构化“双人访谈”。采用了主题内容分析法。
大多数参与者认为当地种植的传统食物，尤其是水果和蔬菜，是健康的。这些食物的消费因供应情况而受到限制，且通常来自家庭或邻里的菜园。女性照顾者和学校膳食计划促进了健康的饮食行为。大多数参与者认为早餐很重要，尽管对大多数人来说，家庭食物有限是上学前吃早餐的障碍。大多数人指出获取食物不便是健康饮食的主要障碍，并提到“方便但不健康的食物”摄入量在增加。女孩们意识到身体活动的益处，并在家中、社区和学校参与各种体育活动，包括家务劳动、长途步行上学、传统舞蹈以及诸如无挡板篮球和足球等校外活动。
研究结果表明，在经历营养转型的人群中，对健康饮食以及食用当地种植的传统食物的益处有着广泛的认识。获取食物不便和食物供应有限是健康饮食行为的强大障碍。学校膳食计划是健康饮食的重要促进因素，应考虑将提供早餐作为膳食计划的延伸。可以鼓励步行上学、文化舞蹈和校外活动，因此这些活动是增加农村青少年女孩身体活动的有益促进因素，而该地区超重和肥胖的患病率正在上升。
