Personal and family food choice schemas of rural women in upstate New York

Objective: The purpose of this study was to gain conceptual understanding of the cognitive processes involved in food choice among low- to moderate-income rural women. Design: This interpretivist study used grounded theory methods and a theory-guided approach. Participants/Setting: Sixteen women aged 18 to 50 years from varied household compositions were purposively recruited in an upstate New York rural county. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted. Verbatim transcripts were analyzed using the constant comparative method. Results: Study participants held both personal and family food choice schemas characterized by food meanings and behavioral scripts. Food meanings encompassed self-reported beliefs and feelings associated with food. Food choice scripts described behavioral plans for regularized food and eating situations. Five personal food choice schemas (dieter, health fanatic, picky eater, nonrestrictive eater, inconsistent eater) and 4 family food choice schemas (peacekeeper, healthy provider, struggler, partnership) emerged. Conclusions and Implications: The findings advance conceptual understanding of the cognitive processes involved in food choice by demonstrating the existence of different food choice schemas for personal and family food choice situations. Further study is needed on food choice schemas in different populations in various food and eating situations.