You are What you Eat (and Drink): Identifying Cultural Boundaries by Analyzing Food & Drink Habits in Foursquare

Food and drink are two of the most basic needs of human beings. However, as society evolved, food and drink became also a strong cultural aspect, being able to describe strong differences among people. Traditional methods used to analyze cross-cultural differences are mainly based on surveys and, for this reason, they are very difficult to represent a significant statistical sample at a global scale. In this paper, we propose a new methodology to identify cultural boundaries and similarities across populations at different scales based on the analysis of Foursquare check-ins. This approach might be useful not only for economic purposes, but also to support existing and novel marketing and social applications. Our methodology consists of the following steps. First, we map food and drink related check-ins extracted from Foursquare into users' cultural preferences. Second, we identify particular individual preferences, such as the taste for a certain type of food or drink, e.g., pizza or sake, as well as temporal habits, such as the time and day of the week when an individual goes to a restaurant or a bar. Third, we show how to analyze this information to assess the cultural distance between two countries, cities or even areas of a city. Fourth, we apply a simple clustering technique, using this cultural distance measure, to draw cultural boundaries across countries, cities and regions.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, 1 table. Proceedings of 8th AAAI Intl. Conf. on Weblogs and Social Media (ICWSM 2014

Food choice and health across the life course: A qualitative study examining food choice in older Irish adults

Ireland has experienced much economic and social change in recent times along with rising levels of overweight. Two-thirds of adults are now overweight or obese. Excess weight is a major risk for chronic disease for all ages which heralds a great societal burden and presents challenges and opportunities for the food industry. Individual food choice is an important and complex factor to be understood in order for food manufacturers to enable healthy choices. It can be understood as a process in which patterns arise and change over time, influenced by a range of personal factors and environmental influences. This study aimed to gain insight into the key contextual influences on food choice patterns in older Irish adults of varied health status who have lived through much socioeconomic change. In-depth semi-structured interviews on food choice across the life course were conducted with 32 adults aged 61-79. Data was thematically analysed using content analysis. Patterns of eating within the changing food environment and dietary choices in the face of ageing and illness were influenced by accumulated life experiences. Findings can contribute to health and nutrition policies and to the design of tailored interventions and products to facilitate the adoption of healthful diets.food, health, food life experiences, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

The influence of hot arid climate on the use of outdoor urban spaces and thermal comfort: do cultural and social backgrounds matter?

Climate-sensitive open spaces within cities may benefit the three dimensions of sustainability affecting economic, social and environmental factors. Aiming to improve microclimatic conditions in urban spaces can enable people to spend more time outdoors, with the potential to influence the social cohesion of a space and increase economic activity. The wider aim of this research was to develop a better understanding of the complex relation between microclimate and human behaviour in open public spaces in hot arid climates. Case studies were carefully selected in two different parts of the world (Marrakech in North Africa and Phoenix-Arizona in North America) to represent a variety of users in similar climatic context. This enabled us to study the effects of the socio-economic and cultural diversity on thermal comfort, behaviour and use of space. Field surveys included structured interviews with a standard questionnaire and observations of the human activities, along with microclimatic monitoring, carried out during winter and summer 2008 and 2009. The analysis consisted of: the microclimatic influence on the thermal sensation, preference and people attendance; the effect of psychological adaptation on subjective thermal evaluation of outdoor spaces; and finally, investigation of socio-economic and socio-cultural impact on behaviour of people in outdoor space

Motivators and Barriers to Health Behaviors in African American Women

Women who identify as African American are at particularly high risk of developing obesity and associated health concerns such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancers. Eating healthfully and engaging in a minimal amount of physical activity are known to be both preventative and curative. Based on review of research, this study investigated potential constructs of Motivators and Barriers to health-supporting behaviors as they are perceived in African American women. The study also constructed a novel scale, Motivators and Barriers to Health Behaviors (MBHB), which intended to capture some constructs of each domain via two surveys. Also of interest was if composite scores of Motivators and/or Barriers factors may be able to predict Body Mass Index (BMI) or Waist Circumference (WC) measurements. Lastly, the study intended to gain insight into the types of beverages and foods that African American women preferred, as well as what grocery stores and fast food restaurants they frequent, and what types of physical activity they engaged in regularly. One hundred and twenty-six adult women identifying as African American and residing in the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin participated in this investigation. Results from an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) indicated five Motivators factors resulting from 21 items. They represented thematic constructs of Personal Health, Beverage and Food Preferences, Church and Spirituality, and Social Support, and one unanticipated factor labeled Physician Input. Results from a second EFA indicated four Barriers factors resulting from 16 items. They represented thematic constructs of Food Choices, Beverage Choices, Knowledge, and Family and Social Support. In addressing hypotheses of the study, Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) analyses were conducted. Results demonstrated that Motivators factors significantly predicted BMI and WC. Barriers items did not significantly predict neither BMI nor WC. Descriptive statistics demonstrating the outcome of open-ended questions of food and beverage preference, grocery story and fast food patronage, and physical activity were compiled. Results indicated that sodas were the most frequently cited as a preferred favorite beverage, followed by water. Drinks containing relatively high levels of sugar were cited at a ratio of three-to-one compared to water. Chicken was the most frequently cited preferred food; Pick-N-Save was the most frequented grocery store, and McDonald’s the most frequently cited fast food establishment. Finally, the physical activity cited most often was walking. Discussion of findings and implications for future research are addressed