Obesity as a heterogeneous phenomenon: eating practices of mothers living in distinct social vulnerable contexts in the city of Santos

• Ano de defesa: 2016
• Autor(a) principal: Sato, Priscila de Morais [UNIFESP]
• Tipo de documento: Tese
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: por
• Instituição de defesa: Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)
• Palavras-chave em Português: Obesity; Eating practices; Bourdieu; Low-income; Mothers; Body image; Pierre Bourdieu
• Link de acesso: https://sucupira.capes.gov.br/sucupira/public/consultas/coleta/trabalhoConclusao/viewTrabalhoConclusao.jsf?popup=true&id_trabalho=4624271; https://repositorio.unifesp.br/handle/11600/47432

The present study aimed to investigate eating practices of socially vulnerable overweight and obese mothers, exploring the relationships between eating practices, habitus, money constraints, body, and gender. It presented a qualitative design, with in-depth interviews to 21 women living in three different vulnerable urban settings ? ?palafitas?, ?cortiços? and ?morro? ? in Santos, Brazil, as the main data source and participant observation and life story narrative as complementary methods. Three scientific articles and one book chapter present the results and discussion of each investigated theme as well as the data analysis that led to the respective results. Inductive and deductive content analyzes were performed. Five groups of eating practices were observed; socioeconomic conditions during childhood and liking to cook were the main characteristics related to the differences among them. Strategies to feed the families with limited financial resources included price research, credit to buy foods, optimizing the food available, not wasting, and making substitutions. The participants were the main responsible for feeding the family, highlighting the influence of a gendered habitus in their eating practices. Gender roles also affected the participants? body image; however, many of them valued concrete, functional aspects of the body, rather than an aesthetic image. So far, this study?s findings underscore the necessity for culturally appropriate interventions focusing on overweight and obese, low-income, female populations.