Table 2.

The home food environment.

Sub-theme 1: Facilities and housing conditions
Accra	‘That is the only place we all eat. It is our house so that is where we eat, cook and do all other things. At night, we sit by the street for some fresh air and go back inside. Unfortunately, our rooms are small in size so you cannot sit inside and eat.’ [Female, 57 years, lowest SES, A6]
Ho	‘Sometimes there will be light out and then the room will be hot, so we have to sit outside. And when the sun is high, the room becomes very hot.’ [Female, 13 years, lowest SES, H9]
Nairobi	‘ … it makes it easy for me to eat what I want to eat like the radio for instance if you hear an advertisement on the radio or a commercial break you hear more about certain foods you don't know you have never heard so it will build up your curiosity so as to know what that is, there is also the TV so still same on the advertising there is phones for the people who like social media there is no time you can open a page and miss the advertisement for food somewhere like you can get big night has an offer shawarma 350 … ’ [Female, 21 years, lowest SES, N15]
Nairobi	‘We eat comfortably when at home. Let's say there is no table then you have to hold your cup, again you have a flask there so you don't struggle so much you just take it and when you get tired you return it to the table.’ [Female, 18 years, lowest to middle SES, N7]
Sub-theme 2: Environmental sanitation
Accra	‘The toilet been situated in front of the house isn't the best. At first it wasn't there. The scent or odour that comes from it is very bad and there are times that it makes us ill … in terms of food, there are times if we prefer to eat outside and the odour coming from the toilet facility is very bad we have no choice than to go and eat inside the room because of the scent.’ [Female, 57 years, low to middle SES, A7]
Ho	‘It shows a gutter. This place is in the house and it is dirty. Whenever I see it I don't feel like eating … when I have cooked and say I go and fetch water, and I see it, I am unable to eat. If that place is not very neat, eating becomes very difficult for me.’ [Female, 30 years, low to middle SES, Ho, H10]
Sub-theme 3: Food hygiene
Accra	‘Well it is important because I get the kind of recipes to use … what will be good for my health and the hygiene. But someone cooking outside I do not know the kind of hygiene she has … Maybe she has not washed her hands but she has been cutting onions with her dirty hands. I will be affected at the end of the day but when I am cooking at home, I will wash my hands, I will wash the vegetables, I will get the hygiene so that when I am enjoying the food I will enjoy it to the fullest.’ [Female, 19 years, low to middle SES, A31]
Ho	‘The reason I like to eat at her place is that, when she cooks, she cleans after herself well, and you won't know anything at that place to show that she has cooked. She will sweep the whole place, she cleans the place very well. That is why I like eating at her place.’ [Female, 13 years, low to middle SES, H28]
Nairobi	‘I prefer to eat at home because at home you can believe it is something that you have made for yourself. I believe what I have prepared myself because I know the hygiene that I have used than what has been used out there if it is food the cleanliness that I have maintained.’ [Female, 24 years, low to middle SES, N8]
Sub-theme 4: Food availability
Accra	‘what I can add is when I have enough food stuffs at home or have enough money it makes eating easy, but then when I do not have anything it is always difficult getting food to eat.’ [Female, 30 years, lowest SES, A57]
Ho	‘Whatever is there, they (her kids) will eat. Sometimes I tell them to eat what I have and then later, say tomorrow, we get what they want … For instance, when they want to eat rice, and I don't have rice at home, I get some money and then buy the rice and come and cook it for them. But if there is food at home, I will not worry to go and buy food.’ [Female, 25 years old, low to middle SES, H5]
Ho	‘This picture shows that this man is a farmer. When he goes to the farm, he brings food home. If he doesn't go to the farm, there will be no food from there. That is why I took this one. He brings corn, yam, he brings palm fruits, as well as cassava and firewood.’ [Female, 43 years, low to middle SES, H15]
Nairobi	‘I chose this picture because it is my own garden where I have planted greens. So if I want greens when the rain is good I do not have a problem. I have kales, I have avocado, Yes then it is also garden where I plant maize which I can roast and kunde, I also planted sugarcane and we eat when it has grown when you look we have sugarcane, avocado, kales, kunde and maize at the same place’ [Male, 55 years, lowest SES, Nairobi, N35]
Sub-theme 5: Food preparation methods and quality of foods
Accra	‘The food sold outside is not always hygienic and it's not enough quantity for the whole family to eat and I have to spend more money to buy those foods. So if I am able to cook at home, I will be able to feed the family during the day and also get some food to also eat in the evening before we sleep and I can save some money. Also food prepared at home is healthier because you buy the best of items to use in cooking and you take your time to prepare to your taste and satisfaction. For the foods sold outside, you don't know the ingredients used in the preparation and it's not always healthy to be eating outside foods. When you cook at home, you have the health of your family in mind and so you prepare it to get the needed strength and to be healthy. This is why I always want to cook at home.’ [Female, 55 years, lowest SES, A3]