You Eat What You Are: Sociocultural Factors That Influence and Inform Food Literacies

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dc.contributor.advisorSpring, Erin
dc.contributor.authorFarrell, Pamela
dc.contributor.committeememberLenters, Kim
dc.contributor.committeememberZaidi, Rahat
dc.contributor.committeememberDressler, Roswita
dc.contributor.committeememberRenwick, Kerry
dc.date2023-02
dc.date.accessioned2023-01-18T15:31:33Z
dc.date.available2023-01-18T15:31:33Z
dc.date.issued2023-01-10
dc.description.abstractNumerous and varied definitions and understandings of food literacy exist across health, nutrition, and education disciplines. Food literacy is a contested and subjective topic and has been used across health disciplines to combat dietary-related diseases to improve population health outcomes. Often, the common interpretation of food literacy results in a superficial and autonomous view of food literacy that is restricted to food-related knowledge and skills such as knowing how to cook or being able to read and understand a nutrition label, thereby neglecting the wider contextual influences on food literacy. Viewing food literacy from a literacy as a social practice lens allows us to view food literacies as something people do in social, cultural, and historical contexts. This study examined the sociocultural factors and social practices that influence food literacies using a qualitative case study methodology. Using a narrative writing activity, followed by semi-structured interviews, I explored the concept of food literacy from a literacy as a social practice perspective, focusing on the literacy aspect of food literacy. The findings of this study show how food literacy practices are influenced by a wide variety of sociocultural factors, including social relations, health, gender, economic status, and emotions. As a result, I propose the following definition of food literacy: Food literacy is what we do with food, and why we do it. Food literacy, just like conventional literacy, must be critical, allowing us to “read the world through food” (Sumner, 2015, p. 134). Food literacies are developed over time, are contextual, and are influenced by a variety of sociocultural factors. Further, this study found that participants’ sociocultural self-awareness is critical and well developed; it is a strength that needs to be drawn on when developing and delivering food literacy programming.en_US
dc.identifier.citationFarrell, P. (2023). You eat what you are: sociocultural factors that influence and inform food literacies (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1880/115689
dc.identifier.urihttps://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/40607
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisher.facultyWerklund School of Educationen_US
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.en_US
dc.subjectfood literacyen_US
dc.subjectliteracy as a social practiceen_US
dc.subjectsociocultural factorsen_US
dc.subjectcase studyen_US
dc.subjectnarrative writingen_US
dc.subject.classificationEducation--Curriculum and Instructionen_US
dc.subject.classificationEducation--Healthen_US
dc.subject.classificationEducation--Language and Literatureen_US
dc.subject.classificationEducation--Social Sciencesen_US
dc.subject.classificationPublic Healthen_US
dc.titleYou Eat What You Are: Sociocultural Factors That Influence and Inform Food Literaciesen_US
dc.typedoctoral thesisen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineEducation Graduate Program – Educational Researchen_US
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgaryen_US
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Education (EdD)en_US
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrueen_US
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