Family Food Systems, Preventive Health and Dietary Change: A Policy to Increase the Health Divide

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Abstract
Any preventive policy depends on a set of beliefs which will determine the point and method of intervention in a causative chain of events. In the case of heart disease, diet is seen as a causative factor. Prevention therefore demands a change in national diet. However, policy makers can view diet primarily as a matter of individual responsibility and preferences, or as a reflection of social structures. The individual approach emphasises health education. On the other hand, if dietary change is seen as related to structural factors such as income distribution, the division of resources within households and the power of the food industry, preventive policy must take different forms. The paper analyses food Systems in 61 inner city households in terms of gender, health beliefs, family preferences and status. The findings are compared with the results of large scale surveys. The conclusion is that health education needs to be more specifically directed at men but, more importantly, that a policy which ignores the structural features which limit individual capability for change will inevitably increase the health divide between rich and poor.

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