PEOPLE FROM low-income households say they know what constitutes a proper diet but they see barriers to healthy eating such as cost, convenience and the taste of food as insurmountable, a new study has found.
People living on or below the poverty line are not sufficiently engaged by the current general focus on healthy eating to adopt better food habits, the report by the North-South body Safefood also found.
“For most the priority was to put food on the table and the nutritional content of the food did not come into question,” added the report, on food poverty.
The report, which was launched in Belfast yesterday by DUP Minister for Social Development Nelson McCausland, carried out research on four different groupings to try to establish why “do low-income groups suffer more from diet-related ill health than other groups”.
The groups were: two parents with two children; single males aged over 25 living alone; single older people over 65 years of age living alone; and lone parents with one or two children.
“There was a strong sense from all the groups that they live in the here and now and that their priority is to make the most of the limited budget on which they are living,” the report stated.
“All four groups appeared to be caught in a cycle of unhealthy eating habits,” it added. “Cooking and shopping were not enjoyed and coping strategies such as purchasing processed foods that required little preparation were used. With the exception of older adults participants reported having limited food preparation and cooking skills”.
The report, Food on a Low Income, also illustrated how “conservatism and the lack of variety in meal choices were key issues among all households”.
Parents also had to cope with the “pester power” of children which often resulted in different meals being prepared for different family members. Two-parent families had a better chance of resisting these demands but it was an “added pressure” for lone parents.
“Meal-skipping among mothers was also evident in both family groups, with many prioritising feeding their children over feeding themselves. Often they wouldn’t prepare a meal for themselves but instead snacked on the meals they prepared for their children.” The report also found that single males had an “active dislike” of shopping.
“This along with a solitary life had a strong negative impact on eating habits and as a result meal-skipping was a common feature.” It said that older people tended to eat traditional food such as bacon, chops and potatoes and the majority were confident in their cooking skills.
Dr Cliodhna Foley-Nolan, Safefood’s director of human health and nutrition said it was “well recognised that diet-related ill health disproportionately affects low income households”.
REPORT QUOTES WHAT PEOPLE SAID:
"Frozen pizza from the supermarket, they are only £1 and you can get a load of them – do them all week." (Lone parent, Belfast)
"The more I buy the more they eat, especially teenagers. They bring their friends around, they go to the fridge, they take and they're gone to the room with it and you look in the fridge and it's empty." ( Two-parent family, Manorhamilton, Co Leitrim)
"It's cheaper to buy a packet of burgers than it is to buy a packet of apples." (Lone parent, Dublin)
"Every night I'd put on the spuds, always spuds and bacon or maybe a couple of chops, a couple of sausages. I just rather cook myself. It wouldn't bother me. You get it the way you want." ( Single older male, Leitrim)
"It is very depressing when you are cooking for just one. I have cooked myself a meal and just threw it in the bin." (Single male, Belfast)
