A qualitative study exploring the dietary gatekeeper's food literacy and barriers to healthy eating in the home environment.

ISSUE ADDRESSED Food literacy has been recognised as a collection of interrelated food skills and knowledge to support healthy dietary outcomes. In the home environment, the dietary gatekeeper is the individual most responsible for food preparation and therefore has a significant influence on the family diet. This study explored how the dietary gatekeeper's food literacy skills are used to manage dietary barriers to facilitate healthy eating in the home environment. METHODS Qualitative data was collected from a sample of household dietary gatekeepers with children (n= 17). Participants were also instructed to take photographs of family meals prior to the interview and these were used as interview prompts to gain deeper insights into gatekeeper behaviour. RESULTS Participants reported the two most significant barriers to healthy eating in households were time pressure and fussy eating. Four strategies were identified that used gatekeepers' food literacy to manage these barriers: breaking up meal tasks; customising meals for family tastes; camouflaging healthy ingredients; and facilitating food choice autonomy. These strategies incorporated interrelated food literacy skills related to the planning, preparation, selection, and eating domains. CONCLUSION The current findings highlight the dietary gatekeeper's food literacy as an interrelated concept and show how it is operationalised to successfully manage barriers to healthy eating experienced in the home environment. SO WHAT?: Future health promotion campaigns must offer tailored communications and interventions that provide resources and support to dietary gatekeepers to foster food literacy and counteract the influence of barriers to healthy eating.