Jean-Pierre Poulain

Reflexões metodológicas para o estudo das práticas alimentares

Human nutrition is a very complex phenomenon as it invites at the same time the physiology, the psychology and the socio-cultural. Thats also why food practice measures have caused the development of tools and methodologies within several disciplines. This article presents the approach of sociology and anthropology. It defines first of all the different dimensions of the social food space; from the eatable order to the process of social differentiation via the culinary, the consumption forms and the temporality. It analyses in detail the data types which can be used taking care in distinguishing the behavioural data that can be obtained either by observation or by declaration from the representation data. It presents the different collect tools and the ways of entry in the food phenomenon. These methodological tools built within a sociological theoretical framing are proposed to the researchers engaged in the study of the food facts so as to walk towards a pooling likely to result on a multi-field approach.

Representations and practices of prevention in elderly populations: Investigating acceptance to participate in and adhesion to an intervention study for the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease (accept study) — The need for a multidisciplinary approach

BackgroundIn the domain of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) prevention, various potentially protective factors have been identified in epidemiological studies. Although the results of these observational studies have been relatively consistent, the results of intervention studies remain disappointing. Methodological problems could explain these negative results, like the selection of the population; a plausible assumption is that the older people who agree to take part in these intervention studies differ from those who refuse, and are those that are least likely to benefit from such programs. The aim of this study was (i) to study the determinants of participation in and adhesion to a prevention trial in a population of older individuals via a quantitative approach using a questionnaire, (ii) to study the representations and practices of prevention in this population using a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews and focus groups.MethodThe study population for the ACCEPT study was recruited at the time of inclusion of subjects in a prevention trial. The population was made up of persons aged 70 years or older, living at home and demonstrating some form of frailty, defined as a spontaneous memory complaint to their general practitioner or difficulties in carrying out instrumental activities of daily living. We used a quantitative approach based on the administration of a self-completed questionnaire sent to 1680 subjects having accepted to take part in the prevention trial, and to the sample of subjects meeting the inclusion criteria but having refused to take part. The qualitative approach, carried out at the moment of inclusion, involved subjects that having accepted to take part and subjects that having refused. Semi-structured interviews were carried out in order to understand the logic leading to refusal or acceptance.ConclusionThe analysis of the results will combine the viewpoints of the different disciplines. It will allow us to better understand the logic at work, to characterise the populations at risk of refusal, and perhaps to remove some of the barriers to participation in prevention programs. The identification of such barriers will provide feedback in terms of the conception and management of prevention measures.

Eating According to One’s Genes? Exploring the French Public’s Understanding of and Reactions to Personalized Nutrition

In this article, we analyze qualitatively the understanding of and reactions to personalized nutrition (PN) among the French public. Focus groups were conducted to identify the opinions and discourses about two applications of knowledge from nutritional (epi)genomics: a biotechnology (nutrigenetic testing) and a public awareness campaign (the “first thousand days of life” initiative). Our objective was to understand to what extent PN could lead to changes in eating practices as well as in the representations of food–health relationships within France, a country characterized by a strong commitment to commensality and a certain “nutritional relativism.” Although discourses on nutritional genomics testify to a resistance to food medicalization, nutritional epigenomics appears as more performative because it introduces the question of transgenerational transmission, thus parental responsibility.

50 ans de dialogue entre sciences humaines et sociales et sciences de la nutrition

Resume Depuis leur creation, les Cahiers de nutrition et de dietetique ont fait une place importante aux sciences humaines et sociales. Jean Tremolieres et Jean Claudian – qui travailla en Roumanie a l’Institut des sciences sociales de Dimitrie Gusti – ont contribue a mettre en place au sein des sciences de la nutrition un cadre conceptuel ouvert aux SHS. Trois etapes sont reperables dans l’histoire des CND. La production d’articles sur des questions sociales est d’abord assuree par des medecins ou des acteurs du monde de la sante. La seconde periode se caracterise par une scientifisation de la nutrition et un appel aux SHS, mais se traduit paradoxalement par une tres faible production liee aux difficultes d’institutionnalisation de l’objet alimentation. Enfin, durant la troisieme phase, on note une production relativement importante emanant de differentes disciplines, au point que les CND constituent aujourd’hui un espace de publication et de legitimation secondaire pour les SHS de l’alimentation. Le dialogue contemporain s’est noue autour de plusieurs thematiques : prevention nutritionnelle et critique de la medicalisation, modernite alimentaire et destructuration, perception du risque et defiance des consommateurs, connaissance des marches et des consommateurs. La conclusion identifie quelques lignes de la poursuite du dialogue entre SHS en sciences de la nutrition.

Perspective socio-anthropologique de la prise en charge de la dénutrition du malade cancéreux

The diet of the cancer patient is a major focus of prevention and treatment strategy of the recent plans that fight against cancer. It is sometimes reduced to a rapid series of more or less general advice, often interfered by other sources of information, more or less conventional. In this pathological situation where the nutritional status of the patient is paramount, it seems crucial to understand the different modalities of how the food behavior is implemented. This article describes the construction modalities of the cancer eater decisions. The goal of the socio-anthropological analysis proposed in this article is to initiate a reflection on the under nutrition problem by focusing on the approach of the eater diagnosed with cancer. The aim is to help identify ways of action to fight against under nutrition and improve the quality of life of the patient.