A social marketing approach to improving the nutrition of low-income women and children: an initial focus group study.

OBJECTIVE:
To identify approaches for interventions to improve the nutrition of low-income women and children.

DESIGN:
Seven focus groups were conducted with low-income women caring for young children in their households. They discussed shopping, eating at home, eating out and healthy eating. The discussions were recorded and subjected to qualitative thematic analysis.

SETTING:
A semi-rural community in Oregon, USA.

SUBJECTS:
There were seventy-four women (74% White), most of whom were 18-29 years old.

RESULTS:
Four broad themes were identified, i.e. cost-consciousness, convenience, social influences and health issues.

CONCLUSIONS:
The target population would benefit from improved understanding of what constitutes a balanced diet, with a greater emphasis on a more central role for fruit and vegetables. To persuade this population to change their eating habits, it will be necessary to convince them that healthful food can be low-cost, convenient and palatable for children. Comparing findings from the present study with a similar one in the UK suggests that the US women faced many of the same barriers to healthy eating but displayed less helplessness.