Due to the high level of food-related chronic diseases for African American men,
the purpose of this qualitative study was to induce (n = 83)
urban American men’s perspective of their food environment considering different
ethnic subgroups, built environment, and the temporal context using a
phenomenological method and snowball sampling. Focus group interviews were
audio-recorded, transcribed, and entered into ATLAS.ti to aid in establishing
themes. African American men perceived that fast-food chains are their food
choices and that they do not have any other healthy alternatives near their
residential community. Their perspective of their current environment was
primarily influenced by their formative years, the availability of current food
environments, marketing and advertising of food on television, and the cost of
eating healthy as compared to the cost of eating what is convenient to their
residence. A central theme of the findings of this study is that the
availability and accessibility of restaurants and food options are harmful to
health over time. The finding suggests that future interventions should consider
and incorporate how people develop and understand their current food practices
and environment through the lens of time, not just their adult context.