| Summary |
The purpose of this study was to examine perceived barriers to healthy eating and examine the role of context in nutrition education. The focus of this study was three-fold. The first was to examine perceived barriers to healthy eating, second to understand what reduces understanding of nutrition information, and the third to gain insight into the types of instruction that may be more effective for nutrition education. The study reported here was qualitative in nature. The study included three focus group sessions with a total of 19 participants. Data were gathered from research participant feedback and researcher observation. Each focus group session consisted of a discussion on barriers to healthy eating, nutrition education pertaining to healthy grocery shopping, and a concluding discussion regarding the effectiveness of the instruction. From these focus group interviews, data were collected and analyzed. Through analysis of these data themes emerged pertaining to the research questions. This research reinforced that in general individuals are confused about nutrition and healthy eating, which is in large part due to the complexity of the information and that there is a great deal of conflicting information available to consumers. Data also supported that individuals perceive that it is difficult to eat healthy and they have a poor attitude about trying to eat healthier. Participants in this research study preferred the simple and practical messages given during the nutrition education. These messages seemed to increase understanding and decrease misconceptions about healthy eating for some of the research participants. This research also found that the instruction given in the context of application was well received by the participants. In this research, context enhanced the information given during the education sessions. This research found that situated cognition and authentic instruction was beneficial for these participants. Using instructional strategies that rely on the context of application may help make the learning more meaningful for learners. |
