Youth Perceptions of Food Environment in the High Point Neighborhood in Seattle, WA

Abstract

Poor nutrition in adolescence can cause immediate and long-term poor health outcomes. Nutrition in adolescence is shaped by a variety of factors (e.g., family economic resources, food environment, social and cultural norms, and preferences) and establishes eating habits which are maintained in adulthood. Many studies have examined objective food environments, yet few studies have qualitatively examined the perceived food environment, and even fewer have engaged adolescents. Our study aimed to fill this gap by interviewing youth about how their families interact with the local food environment. We conducted semi-structured interviews with youth age 13 to 17 years old who live in a neighborhood in Seattle, WA identified as having a high priority for food access. Participants were recruited through local community organization youth programs with the assistance of program leaders. We found five main themes. First, cost was the primary determinant of where families shopped and what they bought. Second, access to transportation mitigated the lack of nearby food retailers. Third, participants' families utilized limited resources to travel farther to obtain culturally relevant food. Fourth, lack of satisfaction with school lunch influenced what food and how much food youth ate during the day. Fifth, participants discussed the upstream issues facing their communities and have a desire to engage in conversations about improving food access in their communities. The youth voice is often underrepresented and should be included and heard in policy discussions about food access issues.