The objective of this study was to analyze the social factors of the daily life that most influence the food habits of obese individuals, using a qualitative approach. Participants were 11 obese patients attended at the Nutrition Clinics of a public hospital in the city of João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil. Semi-structured and recorded interviews were held for content analysis. It was observed that the categories that stood out in the interviews were negative self-image, discrimination, anxiety and guilt feeling. When becoming obese, individuals create a negative self-image that causes anxiety and depression, among other factors, which may lead them to a guilt feeling, reinforced by social discrimination that instead of helping them losing weight, seems to encourage them to eat more.
Food habits; Obesity; Society
