The Influence of Gender Stereotypes on Eating Habits Among Costa Rican Adolescents

Purpose. To identify the influence of gender stereotypes on eating habits among Costa Rican adolescents. Design: Qualitative, descriptive research was used in this study. Setting. Adolescents and parents were recruited from socioeconomically diverse populations in rural and urban areas of San Jose ́, Costa Rica. Subjects. Subjects were 92 adolescents (14 to 17 years old) and 48 parents. Methods. Focus group data were transcribed and entered into the qualitative data analysis software Atlas.ti version 5.0. Analyses were grounded on the social cognitive theory. Results. Five themes emerged from the focus group discussions: (1) Costa Rican adolescents associate the consumption of moderate quantities of healthy foods with femininity and male homosexuality. (2) The consumption of hearty portions of nonhealthy foods was associated with masculinity and male heterosexuality. (3) There is an emerging view that it is acceptable for heterosexual male adolescents to take care of their bodies through healthy eating. (4) Body care among female adolescents is an element of femininity and body image. (5) Parents reinforce their daughters’ persistent concern with weight control because they perceive it as feminine behavior. Conclusion. Health promoters should be aware of the existing and changing food stereotypes around gender as an avenue for the promotion of healthy eating. (Am J Health Promot 0000; 00[0]:000–000.)UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Sociales::Instituto de Investigaciones Psicológicas (IIP

Debt, shame, and survival: becoming and living as widows in rural Kerala, India

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The health and well-being of widows in India is an important but neglected issue of public health and women’s rights. We investigate the lives of Indian women <it>as they become widows</it>, focussing on the causes of their husband’s mortality and the ensuing consequences of these causes on their own lives and identify the opportunities and challenges that widows face in living healthy and fulfilling lives.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data were collected in a Gram Panchayat (lowest level territorial decentralised unit) in the south Indian state of Kerala. Interviews were undertaken with key informants in order to gain an understanding of local constructions of ‘widowhood’ and the welfare and social opportunities for widows. Then we conducted semi-structured interviews with widows in the community on issues related to health and vulnerability, enabling us to hear perspectives from widows. Data were analysed for thematic content and emerging patterns. We synthesized our findings with theoretical understandings of vulnerability and Amartya Sen’s entitlements theory to develop a conceptual framework.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Two salient findings of the study are: first, becoming a widow can be viewed as a type of ‘shock’ that operates similarly to other ‘economic shocks’ or ‘health shocks’ in poor countries except that the burden falls disproportionately on women. Second, widowhood is not a static phenomenon, but rather can be viewed as a multi-phased process with different public health implications at each stage.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>More research on widows in India and other countries will help to both elucidate the challenges faced by widows and encourage potential solutions. The framework developed in this paper could be used to guide future research on widows.</p