View article

This paper reports findings from a qualitative study which examined the perceptions and understandings underpinning the dietary practices in families with ‘normal’ weight and ‘overweight’ young teenagers living in poorer socio-economic circumstances. Thirty four parents/main food providers of boys and girls aged 13–14 years from socio-economically disadvantaged areas in Eastern Scotland were interviewed. Within the home there was a strong acknowledgement of these early teenagers’ own food preferences; parents also saw them as having increasing responsibility for their own food choices outwith the home but these were often described as ‘not healthy’ choices. However, parents saw dietary issues as of fairly low priority in the hierarchy of health-relevant and other risks facing their teenagers. Equally, these interviewees felt that issues around body shape and size at this age were less potentially …