Walk a mile in my shoes: culturally sensitive food-habit research

• Published in: The American journal of clinical nutrition Vol. 59; no. 1; pp. 190S - 197S
• Main Author: Cassidy, CM
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda, MD Elsevier Inc 01.01.1994; American Society for Clinical Nutrition; American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; communication methods; COMPORTEMENT ALIMENTAIRE; Cross-Cultural Comparison; cultural characteristics; Culture; DESARROLLO CULTURAL; DEVELOPPEMENT CULTUREL; Diet Surveys; DIETA; epidemiological methods; Ethnic Groups; EVALUACION; EVALUATION; Feeding Behavior; food habits; GROUPE ETHNIQUE; GRUPOS ETNICOS; HABITOS ALIMENTARIOS; Human physiology applied to population studies and life conditions. Human ecophysiology; Humans; INVESTIGACION; Medical sciences; minority groups; NUTRICION HUMANA; Nutrition Assessment; NUTRITION HUMAINE; Nutritional survey. Food supply and nutritional requirement; RECHERCHE; REGIME ALIMENTAIRE; Research Design; Scientists; Social research; survey methods; epidemiological methods; communication methods; cultural characteristics; cross-cultural comparison; survey methods; food habits; Culture; minority groups; Human; Methodology; Food habit; Public health
• ISSN: 0002-9165; 1938-3207
• DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/59.1.190S

Issues of cultural meaning loom large in efforts to gather dietary data accurate enough to support nutritional analyses, identify marginal diets, or relate risk to dietary pattern. When scientifically trained researchers work in nonscientific settings—which are common in both the Western and non-Western worlds—many important problems of design, collection, and interpretation arise. Assumptions about the appropriateness of dietary patterns vary markedly from setting to setting, including assumptions about who makes dietary decisions. The definition of risk that is meaningful to food specialists may not be so to target populations. Even attitudes toward asking questions vary from society to society. Researchers can resolve many cultural communication issues by awareness, attention, and judicious combination of culturally sensitive qualitative and quantitative research techniques.