The changing meaning of health in the globalizing world: An examination over the nutrition

To be healthy, one of the trending topics at issue in daily life with its changing meaning, has been an achievable target as long as certain requirements of the consumption society regarding which products to be consumed or which ones to avoid are fulfilled.From this point of view,it has been aimed in this doctoral thesis to understand the role of nutrition in the process of building the concepts of health and disease in todays consumption society where neoliberal politics have been globalized.The health backgrounds of individuals,their present health conception,the issues of nutrition which is the source of risk and fear with the effect of globalized neoliberal politics have been all criticised within this context. Nutrition with the effect of globalization and neoliberal politics, is the field of application of health threatening conditions on the one hand and on the other hand it has been a significant prophylactic means.Individuals have made health-care providers,health facilities and medical knowledge as objects of consumption in pursuit of knowledge of healthy nutrition.Individual becomes a servant of consumption culture in healthy nutrition in this period associated with risk and fear. In-depth interviews have been carried out in the study where qualitative research method is used with individuals residing in Tavşanlı District of Kütahya Province.In the study, the interviewees have tried to define health based upon their daily experiences at home and work.The male interviewees in particular within their traditional sex roles indicated that sanitiation in consumption society depends on fulfilling the certain obligations of nutrition and consumption emphasizing more on economic determinants of health. The interviewees in the consumption society where being healthy,looking thin and young are considered the most important values and every financial means available can be used to reach these values have stated mostly their experiences of 'getting fat', 'othering' and 'the fear of getting sick' with regard to nutrition and health issues.Individuals have become servants of consumption society directed by neoliberal principles by heading to buy products which are healthier and genetically unmodified yet more expensive compared to others to cope with the fear and risk of their health experiences.