Middle-class parents’ and young teenagers’ conceptions of diet, weight & health

This paper is based on a qualitative study, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, which focuses on higher social class families with young teenagers who are overweight, obese and ‘normal’ weight in order to explore their diet and eating practices, perceptions of body weight/size and health-related activities. The aim of this paper is to introduce the study and preliminary findings.In-depth interviews are being held with 13-15 year olds and their parents which will then be compared with findings from a previous study funded by the Research Unit in Health, Behaviour and Change and NHS Scotland, which explored young people’s understandings and beliefs about diet and health from more deprived areas. The role of class in explaining young peoples’ health-relevant behaviours is both complex and dynamic however we do not know enough about the perceptions of young people and their parents and how this fits into a complex, social world. More qualitative evidence would help elucidate these issues in greater depth.Emerging findings suggest that physical activity contributes towards these families’ notions of ‘healthy’ behaviour, ‘healthiness’ is often taken for granted and that class identities are performed through food, eating and other everyday health-relevant behaviours.