Coding open questions
Here are some of the answers to the question:
What sorts of things influence what you eat?
A I go for the special offers to get the cheapest I can usually but I do check things like the sugar content and we always have lots of fruit. When you have children these things matter. 2, 1, 6
B I don’t have much time to think about it really so I just see what’s in the fridge or go to the chippy.3 C 9
D I think it’s the way I was brought up really. My mother always cooked a good meal, you know, meat and veg, so I try to do the same thing. 7
E I’m a vegetarian and am very careful about what I eat – it has to be organic if possible and lots of vegetables. 8,1
F Depends how I feel – sometimes I feel like cooking, sometimes I don’t so I get a takeaway. Sometimes I just feel too tired to be bothered. 4
G My religion sets out what I can and can’t eat so I have to abide by that. 8
H My partner – he cooks for me. 5
I I think it is really important that children have a healthy diet so I make sure that I include lots of fruit and vegetables, watch the fat and sugar content and no fizzy drinks. 1, 6
After reading through all the answers to the question, a set of codes is drawn up to include most of the answers – it could look like this:
1. Mentions healthy diet including sugar, fat, salt content, fruit and vegetables.
2. Cost of food – cheapest.
3. Time.
4. Feelings about cooking/food.
5. Someone else cooks.
6. Children’s health.
7. Family habits.
8. Religious or other beliefs.
9. No answer.
The codes are in the right-hand column – do you agree? Can you suggest other ways of coding this data?