Diet disparities, family meals, and “eating for change”: Results from a mixed-methods study in North Carolina

The Department of Sociology presents Dr. Sarah Bowen, Associate Professor Department of Sociology and Anthropology at North Carolina State University. Dr. Bowen will present "Diet disparities, family meals, and “eating for change”: Results from a mixed-methods study in North Carolina” on Thursday (12/1) at 1:00 – 2:15 pm in 248 Townshend Hall.

Abstract: Our bodies and what we eat are bellwethers of inequality. In this talk, I discuss results from a mixed-method, longitudinal research project that combines semi-structured
interviews and food recalls with 124 poor and working-class mothers in North Carolina and ethnographic observations with 12 of these families. The project considers how low-income
mothers think about and experience food and feeding their children in a context of growing anxiety over food and obesity, rising inequality, and cuts to social safety nets. I show how
understanding the processes that shape how these women shop, cook, and eat can provide insight into the deeper challenges (for example, of poverty, structural racism, and social
exclusion) that these families face.

Dr. Bowen is a candidate for Ohio State Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology, in the area of food inequality and insecurity.