Dietitians of Canada

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate barriers to healthy eating and vitamin/mineral supplement use among groups at risk for low nutrient intakes, particularly for individuals with low income. Methods: The study was completed in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan between September – November, 2007. Twelve focus groups were conducted with a total of 73 participants. Demographic information was assessed using a questionnaire. Focus group participants were recruited by a community liaison through community development organizations who worked primarily with people living in the core neighbourhoods. Participants represented a diverse population with regards to age, income, level of education, health status and cultural background. However, most were female (n = 63, 86%), and a large proportion (n=33, 45%) were receiving some or all of their income from social programs. Focus group meetings were audio taped; thematic coding was used to identify key concepts.
Results: Five themes emerged regarding barriers to healthy eating: Knowledge, Income, Accessibility, Health, and Preferences. Participants indicated that barriers to healthy eating included a lack of readily available nutrition resources, the cost of healthy foods, limited time to prepare healthy foods, physical and mental health issues for themselves or their family, and the influence of others when purchasing food. Whether vitamin/mineral supplement use was considered, again participants’ comments were clustered within the same five themes. If participants did want to take a supplement, barriers included not knowing which supplements to take, forgetting to take the supplements, cost, unpleasant side effects, and difficulty with swallowing the pills.
Implications & Conclusions: The results of this study provide valuable information to focus our efforts in reducing the barriers to healthy eating and to appropriate vitamin/mineral supplement use.