title: Nutrition promotion approaches preferred by Australian adolescents attending schools in disadvantaged neighbourhoods: a qualitative study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Links between socioeconomic disadvantage and unhealthy eating behaviours among adolescents are well established. Little is known about strategies that might support healthy eating among this target group. This study aimed to identify potential strategies and preferred dissemination methods that could be employed in nutrition promotion initiatives focussed on improving eating behaviours among socioeconomically disadvantaged adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  Semi-structured interviews were conducted in 2011 among 22 adolescents (12-15 years) recruited from secondary schools in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Victoria, Australia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Strategies suggested by adolescents to support healthy eating included increasing awareness about healthy eating; greater cooking involvement; greater parental and peer support; frequent family meal participation; greater parental and peer role-modelling of healthy eating; increased availability of healthy foods and decreased availability of unhealthy foods in homes and schools. Adolescents preferred electronic media, adolescent-specific recipe books, and school-based methods for distributing nutrition promotion messages and strategies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A number of suggested strategies and methods identified in the present investigation have been employed with success in previous nutrition promotion interventions targeting socioeconomically disadvantaged adolescents. The present study also contributes novel insights into potential strategies and methods that could be employed in initiatives aiming to improve eating behaviours in this vulnerable group, and particularly highlights the importance of incorporating strategies involving parents and modifying the home food environment.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, VIC, 3125, Australia. l.stephens@deakin.edu.au.
authors.forename: Lena D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Stephens
authors.affiliation: Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, VIC, 3125, Australia. sarah.mcnaughton@deakin.edu.au.
authors.forename: Sarah A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: McNaughton
authors.affiliation: Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, VIC, 3125, Australia. david.crawford@deakin.edu.au.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Crawford
authors.affiliation: Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, VIC, 3125, Australia. kylie.ball@deakin.edu.au.
authors.forename: Kylie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ball
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D010290:Parents; D000067074:Peer Influence; D011204:Poverty Areas; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012923:Social Class; D014739:Victoria