Women’s Concerns about Dietary Recommendations Relate to Taste, Affordability, Convenience, Aesthetics, and Self-Confidence: A Qualitative Evaluation in Egypt

Abstract

Young women from urban Egypt are in a context of nutrition transition with a high prevalence of being overweight, excessive energy and sodium intakes, and insufficient iron, vitamin D, and folate intakes. This study, funded by Danone Nutricia Research, investigated the acceptability of dietary recommendations in young urban Egyptian women that have the potential to improve iron intake and nutrient adequacy. Individual interviews and focus groups were conducted in Cairo with 80 middle-class women aged 18–35 years (students, active women, and housewives). Perceived benefits and drawbacks for each recommended food were examined. Motivations and barriers to improving dietary practices were classified into major emerging themes. Analysis of the interviews showed that promoting the recommended foods would be met with both positive and negative feedback (e.g., a positive impact of fruit, vegetables, milk, or yogurt consumption on hair, nails, and skin appearance, and bad taste of vegetables). Motivations for improving dietary practices included the pursuit of aesthetical (e.g., attaining/maintaining body shape, clear skin, bright teeth, strong nails, silky and thick hair) and psychological (e.g., improved self-confidence and self-esteem) benefits. However, the “curative behavior” of the population targeted (i.e., changing dietary practices only when they face a serious issue), some life-stage-related factors (e.g., students and active women consuming most of their meals out-of-home), and sociocultural and economic factors (e.g., social gatherings, the high price of red meat) can constitute barriers for implementing a set of dietary recommendations. This work highlighted that, beyond socio-cultural and economic factors or curative or life-stage-motivated dieting, the pursuit of aesthetical and psychological benefits are essential factors that shape the acceptability of dietary changes.