Perceived influences on diet among urban, low-income African Americans.

OBJECTIVES: To understand perceived influences on consumption of fruits, vegetables, and fast foods for urban, low-income African Americans.

METHODS: Semi-structured interviews with 33 African American adults from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, using continuous, iterative, thematic analysis.

RESULTS: Influences on dietary behaviors that emerged included economic considerations; food characteristics; health concerns and health effects; participants' personal influences; social and cultural influences; neighborhood, home, and work environments; and broader contextual influences. There were important differences by age group and gender.

CONCLUSION: Strategies to improve dietary patterns in urban, low-income, African-American communities might make use of overall and age- and gender-specific perspectives from within the community we report.