How social and environmental contexts shape adolescent girls’ eating behaviors in Southern Iran: a qualitative directed content analysis based on the social cognitive theory

Proper nutrition during adolescence particularly for girls in low and middle-income countries is a key determinant of growth, health maintenance, and disease prevention. The increasing rate of unhealthy eating habits among adolescent girls in southern Iran has raised public-health concerns. Several interrelated social and environmental factors, including the role of school, family, and peers, affect adolescents’ nutritional patterns. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore and explain the environmental determinants of adolescent girls’ eating behaviors. The present qualitative study used directed qualitative content analysis based on the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). Participants included 17 female junior high school students and seven of their parents from Bastak City, southern Iran. Data were collected from April to May 2025 through in-depth, semi-structured individual interviews. Participants were purposively selected to ensure maximum variation in age, educational level, and socioeconomic background. The data collection continued until saturation. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed through directed content analysis in MAXQDA 20. Data analysis led to the extraction of four main categories and thirteen subcategories: (1) observational learning, including modeling from significant others and influence from environmental contexts; (2) normative beliefs, consisting of motivational belief, social pressure, and cultural beliefs; (3) social support, encompassing informational, emotional, instrumental, and organizational support; and (4) barriers and opportunities, comprising individual and environmental factors. These categories align with the environmental constructs of (SCT). The findings show that adolescent girls’ eating behavior in southern Iran is broadly shaped by interconnected social and environmental factors. These include adolescents following the eating behaviors of others in the immediate environment, peer norms and social pressure, availability and accessibility of foods in school and neighborhood, and the influence of social media and food advertising. Perceived barriers, such as the cost and limited availability of healthier alternatives, also play a key role. Designing effective nutrition interventions, therefore, requires a multilevel approach addressing individual, familial, school, peer, and broader community systems. This study was registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT) on 14th May 2025 (Identifier: IRCT20241123063812N1; available at: https://www.irct.ir/trial/83227).