RESUMO
This study examined how Brazilian schoolchildren identified, classified, and labeled foods and beverages. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 133 schoolchildren aged 7 to 10 years old from a public school located in southern Brazil in 2015. A set of cards with pictures of 32 food and beverage items from the web-based Food Intake and Physical Activity of Schoolchildren tool (Web-CAAFE) were used. Participants identified each item, formed groups for them based on similarity, and assigned labels for those groups. Student's t-tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests were used to verify the mean difference between the groups of items. K-means cluster analysis was applied to identify similar clusters. Schoolchildren made an average of 9.1 piles of foods and beverages that they thought were similar (±2.4) with 3.0 cards (±1.8) each. Five groups were identified: meats, snacks and pasta, sweets, milk and dairy products, and fruits and vegetables. The most frequently used nomenclature for labeling groups was taxonomic-professional (47.4%), followed by the specific food item name (16.4%), do not know/not sure (13.3%), and evaluative (health perception) (8.8%). The taxonomic-professional category could be applied to promote improvements in the identification process of food and beverage items by children in self-reported computerized dietary questionnaires.
Assuntos
Bebidas , Frutas , Criança , Humanos , Brasil , Verduras , Comportamento AlimentarRESUMO
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.