Eating behavior and its context: perception of overweight and obese adolescents in Tucumán, Argentina.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24215/2422572Xe%25pKeywords:
eating behavior, adolescence, perception, overweight, obesityAbstract
The perception of eating behavior was analyzed in overweight and obese adolescents from Tucumán (Argentina), considering individual, family, school, and socioeconomic factors. The study, with a mixed-methods approach, employed an exploratory sequential design in its quantitative phase and an interpretive design in its qualitative phase. It included 10 adolescents who completed a questionnaire on eating habits and participated in a focus group. Content analysis conducted with NVivo 11 identified three main categories: eating behavior, food perceptions, and external context. The adolescents associated eating with care, affection, and family rules, highlighting shared meals with grandparents and parents as a protective practice. They also expressed tensions between taste, availability, and the cost of food, as well as perceived differences between “rich” and “poor” in relation to what is eaten. Despite a limited diet and low nutritional knowledge, the participants perceived their diet as adequate. These findings show that adolescent eating behavior is influenced by emotional and socioeconomic meanings, and highlight the need for integrative approaches that combine cultural, family, and school dimensions to promote healthy habits in this population.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Natalia Noelia Fernández, Araceli Redondo Cuenca, Isabel Goñi Cambrodón, Ana Betina Lacunza
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