Exploring Socioeconomic Disparities in Adults' Interactions with the Digital Food Environment: A Qualitative Study.
The digital food environment is relevant for public health, as it shapes food access, promotion, and consumption. However, evidence on how different socioeconomic groups engage with this environment is limited. This study aimed to compare how adults from high- and low-socioeconomic status (SES) neig...
| Publicado en: | Inquiry (00469580) Vol. 63; pp. 1 - 16 |
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| Autores principales: | , , , , , |
| Formato: | research tables/charts Journal Article |
| Publicado: |
Sage Publications Inc.
2/18/2026
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=191669158&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 191669158 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 00469580 INQ jtl: Inquiry (00469580) issn: 00469580 maglogo: Y pubinfo: dt: 2/18/2026 vid: 63 pid: 344 pub: Sage Publications Inc. place: Thousand Oaks, California artinfo: ui: 191669158 191669158 191669158 10.1177/00469580261418650 191669158 ppf: 1 ppct: 15 formats: fmt: – @attributes: type: T – @attributes: type: P tig: atl: Exploring Socioeconomic Disparities in Adults' Interactions with the Digital Food Environment: A Qualitative Study. aug: au: Molina Carrasco, Paulina Gómez San Carlos, Natalia Rodríguez Osiac, Lorena Egaña Rojas, Daniel Franch Maggiolo, Carolina Gálvez Espinoza, Patricia affil: Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile sug: subj: Social Class Evaluation Digital Technology Utilization Food Supply In Adulthood Socioeconomic Disparities in Health Evaluation Human Male Female Adult Middle Age Aged Funding Source Focus Groups Qualitative Studies Access to Healthy Foods Chile Cross Sectional Studies Thematic Analysis Intergenerational Relations Meals Shopping Health Promotion Support, Psychosocial Advertising Marketing Motivation Eating Behavior In Adulthood Comparative Studies Purposive Sample Convenience Sample Food Intake World Wide Web Applications Utilization Food, Commercially Packaged Adverse Effects Recipes Health Food Food Labeling Computer Literacy Nutrition Policy Government Regulations Poverty Semi-Structured Interview Interview Guides Descriptive Statistics Data Analysis Software Adult: 19-44 years Middle Aged: 45-64 years Aged: 65+ years Male Female ab: The digital food environment is relevant for public health, as it shapes food access, promotion, and consumption. However, evidence on how different socioeconomic groups engage with this environment is limited. This study aimed to compare how adults from high- and low-socioeconomic status (SES) neighborhoods in Santiago, Chile, interact with the digital food environment. This qualitative, cross-sectional study conducted 11 focus groups with 78 adults from high- and low-SES neighborhoods. Data were analyzed using inductive reflexive thematic analysis. Two themes and 6 subthemes emerged. (1) Digital food environment as a space of access, consumption, and social differentiation : SES shaped the nature of digital food engagement. High-SES participants described routine use of online platforms to purchase meals and groceries, including healthier options. Low-SES participants engaged sporadically, driven by promotions and support from younger relatives. (2) Digital food environment as a communicative and affective space of influence : Participants reported exposure to unhealthy food advertising. High-SES individuals demonstrated greater awareness of targeted marketing and employed strategies to avoid ads. In contrast, low-SES participants tend to adopt a passive stance, valuing online information for economic reasons. Motivations also diverged: high-SES adults sought content related to self-care and healthy eating, whereas low-SES adults looked mainly for discounts or cheaper options. These findings highlight the interaction with the digital food environment is widespread among adults, showing disparities by SES. Findings underscore the need for targeted policies, including regulating digital marketing, promoting digital literacy, reducing socioeconomic disparities, and fostering healthier digital food environments. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: research tables/charts Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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