Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of São Paulo, Av. Dr. Arnaldo, 715, São Paulo/SP, CEP 01255-000, São Paulo/SP, Brazil.
Department of Health, Clinics and Institutions, Institute of Health and Society, Federal University of São Paulo, Campus Baixada Santista, Rua Silva Jardim, 136, Santos/SP, CEP 11015-020, Santos/SP, Brazil.
Appetite. 2019 May 1;136:173-183. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2019.01.022. Epub 2019 Jan 31.
Transformations in eating practices are reflected in the multiplicity of competing food-related discourses. These discourses contribute to different food categorizations among individuals. Scientists have long argued that food categorizations may help understanding cultural systems of health beliefs. However, not enough work has been conducted to improve the understanding of the dimensions of food categorizations and their interface with food choices, tastes, and culturally defined food systems. This study aims at describing and interpreting how low-income women living in three urban settings in Santos, Brazil, classify and give meaning to foods. We used the pile sorting method to investigate categorizations created by 90 women, following 6 steps: (1) creating units of analysis, (2) sorting the units of analysis into piles, (3) running multidimensional scaling analysis, (4) running cluster analyses on the multidimensional scaling coordinates, (5) labelling the clusters, and (6) analyzing consensus among the participants. The final solution to food categorizations comprised six clusters, namely: home meals, convenience foods, special meals, fish, breads and cereals, and hot dogs. Additionally, we observed four rationales for food categorization: frequency of consumption, degree of healthfulness, personal taste, and meals in which the food was usually part of. These categories highlight the importance of considering personal taste and the type of meal that the food is culturally consumed in, to propose meaningful interventions and appropriate education tools, towards promoting healthy eating practices, especially among vulnerable populations.
饮食习惯的转变反映在多种相互竞争的与食物相关的论述中。这些论述促成了个体之间不同的食物分类。长期以来，科学家们一直认为食物分类有助于理解与健康信念有关的文化体系。然而，人们还没有充分研究如何更好地理解食物分类的维度及其与食物选择、口味和文化定义的食物系统的接口。本研究旨在描述和解释生活在巴西桑托斯三个城市环境中的低收入妇女如何对食物进行分类并赋予其意义。我们使用堆积分类法对 90 名女性进行了分类，共分为 6 个步骤：（1）创建分析单位，（2）将分析单位分类到堆积中，（3）运行多维尺度分析，（4）对多维尺度坐标进行聚类分析，（5）对聚类进行标记，（6）分析参与者之间的共识。食物分类的最终解决方案包括六个聚类，即：家庭餐、方便食品、特殊餐、鱼、面包和谷物以及热狗。此外，我们观察到了四种食物分类的理由：消费频率、健康程度、个人口味和通常包含该食物的餐食。这些类别强调了考虑个人口味和食物在文化上的食用方式的重要性，以便提出有意义的干预措施和适当的教育工具，促进健康饮食习惯的形成，特别是在弱势群体中。
