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Background <p>The rapidly transforming urban Indian food landscape has triggered unhealthy dietary habits among its younger cohort. Young adults’ classification of healthy and unhealthy foods is likely to have significant repercussions for their eating behaviour, and consequently, their long-term health and well-being. This qualitative research inquiry aimed to capture novel insights about the ways urban Indian young adults classify meals and snacks as healthy or unhealthy as well as their perceived barriers to healthy eating.</p> Methods <p>Guided by the social constructivism paradigm, the present investigation employed an exploratory-descriptive qualitative research design. Purposive and snowball sampling strategies were used to recruit young adults (aged: 19 years – 29 years) from eight Indian metropolises. In-depth interviews were conducted either in-person or virtually until saturation. Sixty-eight young adults (51% female) participated in the interviews. The conversations were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim for data analysis. Interview transcripts were imported to NVivo software and analysed using open thematic coding.</p> Results <p>Four main themes and associated sub-themes included: (i) Food classification criteria (Nutrient composition and food groups, Type of food preparation, Food preparation venue, Frequency of food consumption, Presence of sugar, Food processing and packaging, Price of food, Health issues); (ii) Barriers to healthy eating (Easy availability and accessibility of calorie-dense, nutrient-poor food, Healthy food is costly, Negative peer influence, Decline in home cooking, Independent living); (iii) Poor knowledge about government-led health campaigns; (iv) Digital health applications and social media.</p> Conclusions <p>Emerging themes highlight various food classification criteria adopted by young adults to categorize food as healthy or unhealthy as well as several barriers to healthy eating. These findings highlight the need to equip young people with nutrition and food literacy and digital health literacy which could be attained by tailored behavioural nutrition interventions and integrating government-led health messaging into trusted social media platforms.</p>

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Young adults’ perceptions of food classification criteria and barriers to healthy eating: a qualitative inquiry from eight Indian metropolises

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月31日

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  • Lalita Vatta,
  • Shikha Panwar,
  • Farheen Ahmadi,
  • Anthony Worsley,
  • Neha Rathi

摘要

Background

The rapidly transforming urban Indian food landscape has triggered unhealthy dietary habits among its younger cohort. Young adults’ classification of healthy and unhealthy foods is likely to have significant repercussions for their eating behaviour, and consequently, their long-term health and well-being. This qualitative research inquiry aimed to capture novel insights about the ways urban Indian young adults classify meals and snacks as healthy or unhealthy as well as their perceived barriers to healthy eating.

Methods

Guided by the social constructivism paradigm, the present investigation employed an exploratory-descriptive qualitative research design. Purposive and snowball sampling strategies were used to recruit young adults (aged: 19 years – 29 years) from eight Indian metropolises. In-depth interviews were conducted either in-person or virtually until saturation. Sixty-eight young adults (51% female) participated in the interviews. The conversations were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim for data analysis. Interview transcripts were imported to NVivo software and analysed using open thematic coding.

Results

Four main themes and associated sub-themes included: (i) Food classification criteria (Nutrient composition and food groups, Type of food preparation, Food preparation venue, Frequency of food consumption, Presence of sugar, Food processing and packaging, Price of food, Health issues); (ii) Barriers to healthy eating (Easy availability and accessibility of calorie-dense, nutrient-poor food, Healthy food is costly, Negative peer influence, Decline in home cooking, Independent living); (iii) Poor knowledge about government-led health campaigns; (iv) Digital health applications and social media.

Conclusions

Emerging themes highlight various food classification criteria adopted by young adults to categorize food as healthy or unhealthy as well as several barriers to healthy eating. These findings highlight the need to equip young people with nutrition and food literacy and digital health literacy which could be attained by tailored behavioural nutrition interventions and integrating government-led health messaging into trusted social media platforms.