Social Representations of Healthy Eating in Schoolchildren from Cartagena, Colombia

Abstract

The social representations on healthy eating of the students of a public educational institution in Cartagena de Indias were analyzed. Methods: A mixed investigation was carried out, starting with the collection and analysis of qualitative information, for which twelve interviews and one focus group were applied, and a participant observation was carried out. From this inquiry, the economic access to healthy foods emerged as a relevant factor for healthy eating, which led to the development of a comparison between the food price behavior identified as healthy and unhealthy. The study was performed during 2018. Results: Concerning social representations, it was identified that healthy eating is expensive and difficult for the population to access, which was subsequently demonstrated by analyzing food prices. Other factors, such as taste, ease of preparation, healthy foods availability at school, were also identified as relevant to maintain healthy eating practices. Conclusion: The research identified factors such as access to food, pleasure, the low availability of healthy food at school, customs, and the loss of symbolic value of typical preparations, among others, related to food decision-making in the population. In this sense, it is necessary to highlight that the strategies for improving schoolchildren's nutritional status must include intersectoral actions, actively linking the community, the family, the school, the media, and students.

Exploring twitter discussions on healthy food: inspiring, access to healthy food for young, and nutritional economics in focus

“…School plays a primary role in two areas. The first is focused on shaping the social representations of healthy eating for the population, emphasizing the importance of food and nutrition education (Paola Mora Vergara et al, 2020). The second is the actual food that exists in the school, which is related to the quality of school nutrition policies (Khoe et al, 2022).…”