Department of Health Policy & Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA; Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Center for Epidemiological Studies in Health and Nutrition (NUPENS), Faculty of Public Health, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Appetite. 2019 Mar 1;134:1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2018.12.009. Epub 2018 Dec 11.
Ultra-processed foods are industrially formulated products that are convenient, highly-palatable, and contain few whole ingredients. While popular among US households regardless of SES, these foods constitute a relatively large proportion of grocery spending among low-income households participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Little is understood about the perceived factors influencing selection and consumption of these foods, particularly among households with children participating in SNAP. We conducted 5 focus groups with 45 parents of children under 18 years of age living in a low-income area of a Northeastern state. We conducted inductive-deductive thematic analysis to identify emergent themes and to identify similarities and differences by self-reported SNAP participation. Six themes related to ultra-processed food decision-making emerged, which were grouped into primarily rational or primarily intuitive processes. Rational decisions included concerns about the product's healthfulness, environmental sustainability, and desirable traits, which were each weighed against product cost when deciding between similar products. Intuitive themes included retailer marketing, household norms, and individual affective biases. The family social and emotional context and parenting practices were identified as important influences on preparation and consumption of ultra-processed foods. Differences between SNAP participants and non-participants emerged. SNAP participants selected ultra-processed foods because of their familiarity and long shelf-life -- attributes that mitigated fear of wasting money on foods that may be rejected by children or spoil quickly. Some SNAP participants purchased ultra-processed foods at the beginning of the monthly benefit cycle and stored them in anticipation of food scarcity at the end of the month. These findings underscore the distinct role of ultra-processed foods in meal planning and budgeting and the importance of rational considerations that particularly affect food choices of households participating in SNAP.
超加工食品是经过工业配方的产品，方便、美味，且只含有少量完整的成分。尽管这些食品在美国家庭中都很受欢迎，不论其社会经济地位如何，但对于参与补充营养援助计划（SNAP）的低收入家庭来说，这些食品在食品杂货支出中占比较大。人们对影响这些食品选择和消费的感知因素知之甚少，特别是对于有孩子参与 SNAP 的家庭。我们在东北部一个低收入地区进行了 5 组焦点小组讨论，共有 45 名 18 岁以下儿童的家长参加。我们采用归纳演绎主题分析来确定出现的主题，并根据自我报告的 SNAP 参与情况，确定相似和不同之处。有 6 个与超加工食品决策相关的主题出现，这些主题分为主要基于理性或主要基于直觉的过程。理性决策包括对产品健康性、环境可持续性和理想特性的关注，在决定相似产品时，这些因素会与产品成本进行权衡。直觉主题包括零售商营销、家庭规范和个人情感偏见。家庭的社会和情感背景以及育儿实践被确定为影响超加工食品准备和消费的重要因素。SNAP 参与者和非参与者之间存在差异。SNAP 参与者选择超加工食品是因为它们的熟悉度和长保质期——这些属性减轻了对浪费钱购买可能被孩子拒绝或快速变质的食品的担忧。一些 SNAP 参与者在每月福利周期开始时购买超加工食品，并储存起来，以应对月底食物短缺的情况。这些发现强调了超加工食品在膳食计划和预算中的独特作用，以及对参与 SNAP 的家庭的食品选择特别有影响的理性考虑的重要性。
