Social, economic and cultural influences on adolescent nutrition and physical activity in Jimma, Ethiopia: perspectives from adolescents and their caregivers

Abstract

Objective: To explore influences on adolescent diet and physical activity, from the perspectives of adolescents and their caregivers, in Jimma, Ethiopia. Design: Qualitative design, using focus group discussions (FGD). Setting: A low-income setting in Jimma, Ethiopia. Participants: Five FGD with adolescents aged 10–12 years and 15–17 years (n 41) and three FGD with parents (n 22) were conducted. Results: Adolescents displayed a holistic understanding of health comprising physical, social and psychological well-being. Social and cultural factors were perceived to be the main drivers of adolescent diet and physical activity. All participants indicated that caregivers dictated adolescents’ diet, as families shared food from the same plate. Meals were primarily determined by caregivers, whose choices were driven by food affordability and accessibility. Older adolescents, particularly boys, had opportunities to make independent food choices outside of the home which were driven by taste and appearance, rather than nutritional value. Many felt that adolescent physical activity was heavily influenced by gender. Girls’ activities included domestic work and family responsibilities, whereas boys had more free time to participate in outdoor games. Girls’ safety was reported to be a concern to caregivers, who were fearful of permitting their daughters to share overcrowded outdoor spaces with strangers. Conclusions: Adolescents and caregivers spoke a range of social, economic and cultural influences on adolescent diet and physical activity. Adolescents, parents and the wider community need to be involved in the development and delivery of effective interventions that will take into consideration these social, economic and cultural factors.

Stunting and thinness in school-attending adolescents in Addis Ababa

“…Our finding is supported by similar study conducted in Ethiopia [ 38 ]. In Ethiopia culturally boys had more free time to participate in outdoor activities compared to adolescent girls; adolescent boys physical activity may influence their body weight [ 39 ].…”

A systematic review and meta-analysis of adolescent nutrition in Ethiopia: Transforming adolescent lives through nutrition (TALENT) initiative

“…There are more limited opportunities for physical activity in urban environments, especially for girls, because of overcrowding and lack of space. In a recent qualitative study, we identified that boys have more opportunity for leisure time and outdoor physical activity than girls [ 110 ].…”

Boys and girls differ in their rationale behind eating: a systematic review of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations in dietary habits across countries

“…The majority of studies (67.7%) used focus groups (53, 55-60, 62, 64-66, 68-73, 75-77, 81, 83, 84), with 30.4% of these conducting mixed-gender groups (55,56,58,60,70,71,77). Parents were included in 26.1% of studies (53,65,66,72,73,76,81), but only present with adolescents during data collection in one study (53). Semi-structured interviews (26.5%) (25, 54, .…”

“…Australia (62, 63), Costa Rica (64, 65), Bangladesh (66,67), Ireland (68, 69), and Sweden (70, 71) all had two studies (5.9%) each. Ethiopia (72), India (73), Indonesia (74), Iran (75), Morocco (76), Netherlands (77), Peru (78), Scotland (79), Slovakia (80), South Africa (81), United Arab Emirates (82), and United Kingdom (83) all had one study (2.9%) each. One study considered data from Canada and India, these countries were evaluated separately (84).…”

“…In contrast, girls uniquely stated food smell (n = 1 study) (58) as a motivating factor for dietary habits. Both groups uniquely highlighted preferences for food outlets [n = 1 study boys (73); n = 1 study girls (79)] and food visuals [n = 3 study boys (59,63,72); n = 2 studies girls (58,75)]. Within this, boys specifically talked about the motivating visual role of food advertisements (n = 2 studies) (59,63), whereas girls only discussed visual aspects of foods in-person.…”