It’s all about the children: a participant-driven photo-elicitation study of Mexican-origin mothers’ food choices

Authors: Cassandra M Johnson, Joseph R Sharkey and Wesley R Dean

There is a desperate need to address diet-related chronic diseases in Mexican-origin women, particularly for those in border region colonias (Mexican settlements) and other new destination communities in rural and non-rural areas of the U.S. Understanding the food choices of mothers, who lead food and health activities in their families, provides one way to improve health outcomes in Mexican-origin women and their children. This study used a visual method, participant-driven photo-elicitation, and grounded theory in a contextual study of food choices from the perspectives of Mexican-origin mothers. This paper provides a new perspective for understanding food choice through the eyes of mothers living in the colonias of South Texas — one that emphasizes the importance of children in their routine food practices and the resilience of the mothers themselves. Additional research is needed to better understand mothers’ perspectives and food practices with larger samples of women and among other socioeconomic groups