title: Decision-making processes shaping the home food environments of young adult women with and without children.
abstract: Although young adult women consume the majority of their total daily energy intake from home food sources, the decision-making processes that shape their home food environments have received limited attention. Further, how decision-making may be affected by the transformative experience of motherhood is unknown. In this study, we explore the factors that influence two key decision-making processes-food choices while grocery shopping and the use of non-home food sources-and whether there are differences by motherhood status. In-depth interviews were conducted with 40 women, aged 20-29, living in southwest Georgia. Thematic analysis was used to analyze qualitative data stratified by whether or not children were present in the home. Decision-making was affected by numerous factors, which differed across groups. In regard to grocery shopping, women with children more frequently discussed the influence of nutrition and the preferences of children, while women without children more frequently discussed the influence of taste and the preferences of other household members. Cost, convenience, weight control, and pre-planning meals emerged as salient in both groups. In regard to the use of non-home food sources, convenience and taste were discussed by both groups, while social factors were only discussed by women without children. The cost of eating out was the only reason cited for eating inside the home, and this factor only emerged among women with children. Motherhood may be an important contributor to the decision-making processes that shape young adult women's home food environments. Interventions may find success in framing messaging to emphasize factors identified as motivating healthy decisions, such as protecting the health of children, and practical strategies may be adapted from those already in use, such as pre-planning and budgeting for healthy meals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA, USA. Electronic address: ilana.raskind@emory.edu.
authors.forename: Ilana G
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Raskind
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Rebecca C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Woodruff
authors.affiliation: Cancer Coalition of South Georgia, 2332 Lake Park Dr., Albany, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ballard
authors.affiliation: College of Public Health, University of Georgia, 100 Foster Rd., Athens, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Sabrina T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Cherry
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Georgia Southwestern State University, 800 Georgia Southwestern State University Drive, Americus, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Daniel
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Regine
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Haardörfer
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Michelle C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Kegler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003657:Decision Making; D004435:Eating / Q000523:psychology; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000523:psychology*; D005845:Georgia; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Body weight; Eating behavior; Qualitative research; Southeastern United States; Women; Young adult