Food, eating and body image in the lives of low socioeconomic status rural Mexican women living in Queretaro State, Mexico.
Qualitative research using semi-structured interviews and key informant interviews were used to explore how women from low socioeconomic rural households in Queretaro State, Mexico perceived and reacted to their obesogenic environment. Reduced availability of healthy food options and household financial constraints along with reduced agency of women in this setting were factors that limited women's ability to access and consume diets consistent with the promotion of good health. The cultural values that emphasised obesity as a desirable state for women and the women's social networks that promoted these values were also identified as playing a role in reinforcing certain behaviours. Public health advocates wanting to design interventions in such settings need to be sensitive to the cultural as well as the environmental context described for rural Mexican women.
School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Herston Road, Herston, QLD, Australia.
Riko
R
Kimoto
School of Natural Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico.
Dolores
D
Ronquillo
School of Natural Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico.
Maria C
MC
Caamaño
School of Natural Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico.
Guadalupe
G
Martinez
School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Herston Road, Herston, QLD, Australia.
Lisa
L
Schubert
School of Natural Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico; Cindetec AC, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico.
Jorge L
JL
Rosado
School of Natural Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico.
Olga
O
Garcia
School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Herston Road, Herston, QLD, Australia. Electronic address: k.long@uq.edu.au.
Kurt Z
KZ
Long
D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D006801:Humans; D008800:Mexico; D009765:Obesity / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D011203:Poverty / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D012424:Rural Population; D057185:Sedentary Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D055815:Young Adult
Low socio economic status; Mexican women; Obesity and overweight; Obesogenic environment