| Obesity is an ever-growing concern in the United States and particularly within the African American community, and it is a concern that cannot be taken lightly. While there is a significant amount of research on obesity, there is very limited published research on the communication in African American families regarding obesity, food, and health. The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study was to explore the experiences of African American individuals as it relates to communication about obesity, food, and health. Purposeful, snowball, criterion sampling was used to find willing participants fitting the inclusion criteria. A total of six African American women participated in this study. Results highlighted 24 super-ordinate themes and six master themes related to the experiences of the participants as it pertains to communication in their families regarding obesity, food and health. Eight master themes were highlighted as a result of the super-ordinate themes: (a) lack of communication, (b) African American cultural norms, (c) patterns, (d) psychological impact of obesity, (e) connection to food, (f) redefining healthy, (g) responsibility, and (h) promoting change. |
