Perceptions of healthy eating and meanings of food amongst Polish immigrants in Luton – a qualitative study

Thirty-three semi-structured interviews with Polish immigrants residing in Luton Borough were conducted in order to explore their perceptions of food and healthy eating. The interview data were analysed using thematic coding and findings were categorised into main and sub-themes. Healthy food was most often described as food that is fresh, prepared from scratch at home, and cooked in an appropriate way. Main sources of information about food included the knowledge of food from one’s childhood/home, and the Internet. Main barriers to healthy eating included the ubiquitous availability of unhealthy food such as take-aways and unhealthy, pre-packaged food in supermarkets; and lack of time to think about, prepare and cook healthy meals. Main recommendations include raising awareness of what ‘healthy food’ means, educating young consumers and parents about food and healthy eating, and working with the local planning department to influence external retail environments to restrict the availability of unhealthy food and increase availability