Abstract:
The district of Namacurra produces enough food to sustain the needs of the local
population, but t a high level of food insecurity. However, little is known about the
reasons and eating habits of the population of this district. This research analyzed the
perceptions of eating habits among adolescents in the Namacurra district. This study was
based on the argument that adolescents' perceptions of their eating habits are complex and
heterogeneous, given the interaction between their parents' economic, social and cultural
factors, which shape adolescents' individual and collective habits. Methodologically, the
study applied qualitative research based on 42 semi-structured interviews with
adolescents and parents, 4 key players, and 8 focus groups with adolescents and parents.
The data was analyzed using the content analysis technique and the interpretation of the
results was based on Bourdieu's habitus theory. The results showed that both adolescents
and their parents consume a variety of foods, both locally produced foods, such as cassava
flour, rice, madjembe, mukwane (pumpkin leaf, tseke), and sweet potatoes, and non-
locally produced foods such as maize and cabbage. In the family environment, cassava
flour is the most consumed because it is associated with the perception that it gives
strength and energy to carry out daily activities. In contrast, maize flower and cabbage
are foods associated with high social status due to their scarcity and high cost of
accessibility. In the school environment and on the street, adolescents prefer peanuts and
malambi ice cream, foods that symbolize acceptance among their peers. Adolescents who
eat different foods, such as sweet potatoes, suffer stigmatization. From the perspective of
adolescents and parents, "food" represents what is prepared and consumed at home, while
what is prepared by strangers and consumed on the street is not considered as food. The
research concludes that adolescents' eating habits are a product of the socialization of
their parents and the cultural environment in which they are inserted, revealing influence
of socio-cultural factors on the formation of these habits.
