Food Choice and Dietary Perspectives of Young, Urban, Black Pregnant Women: A Focus Group Study
Issued Date
2024-03-01
Resource Type
eISSN
20726643
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85188957562
Journal Title
Nutrients
Volume
16
Issue
6
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Nutrients Vol.16 No.6 (2024)
Suggested Citation
Burton T.C.J., Crooks N., Pezley L., Hemphill N.O.N., Li Y., Sawatpanich A., Farrow V., Erbe K., Kessee N., Reed L., Tussing-Humphreys L., Koenig M.D. Food Choice and Dietary Perspectives of Young, Urban, Black Pregnant Women: A Focus Group Study. Nutrients Vol.16 No.6 (2024). doi:10.3390/nu16060781 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/97863
Title
Food Choice and Dietary Perspectives of Young, Urban, Black Pregnant Women: A Focus Group Study
Corresponding Author(s)
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
Black pregnant women in Chicago are disproportionately affected by maternal morbidity and mortality and are more likely to reside in neighborhoods that experience greater economic hardships and food apartheid than any other race/ethnicity. Addressing social determinants of health such as structural inequities, economic environment, and food apartheid issues may provide insights into eliminating Black maternal morbidity and mortality disparities. This study explores food choice determinants and dietary perspectives of young, urban, Black pregnant women. Two audio-recorded focus groups were conducted in Chicago, IL between March 2019 and June 2019 to discuss pregnancy experiences and factors affecting maternal nutrition. Thematic analysis was used to identify the codes, themes, and subthemes of the data. Data analysis was guided by the Social Ecological Model (SEM) as a theoretical framework. Eleven, young, Black women were recruited. Three major themes were discussed across the SEM levels that influenced food choice including food access, stress and family influences on eating, and the need for nutritional education during pregnancy. These choices were primarily rooted in the detrimental effects of food apartheid experienced within the participants’ neighborhoods. Therefore, acknowledging, understanding, and addressing food apartheid and its impact on Black maternal health disparities is needed in clinical practice, research, and policy change.