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Summary: Equipping nutrition graduates for the complex realities of practice: Using practitioner perspectives and experiences to inform authentic sustainability curriculum (2023)

Maher, J, Ashford, T, Verdonck, M, English, E, Burkhart, S. Equipping nutrition graduates for the complex realities of practice: Using practitioner perspectives and experiences to inform authentic sustainability curriculum. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2023; 1– 11. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.13159

Open access link to article:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jhn.13159

Relevant to:

Dietitians, Practitioners, Nutrition students, Nutrition graduates

Questions the research focuses on:

How do a cohort of Australian N&D professionals perceive opportunities for integrating sustainability into practice? What are the challenges or barriers to realizing these?

Bottom line for nutrition practice:

We recognize practitioners as a source of experience, anticipating where sustainability discourse and nutrition practice intersect.

Abstract:

Background: Nutrition professionals’ function at the nexus of food, nutrition status and the myriad of determinants influencing these. However, defining our role in food system transformation requires a multifaceted and deep understanding of sustainability in the context of nutrition and dietetics (N&D). Practitioner perspectives and experiences provide a rich source of practice wisdom that can inform authentic curriculum to equip students for the complex realities of practice; however, there is limited understanding of these in the Australian higher education setting.

Methods: Qualitative methodology using semi structured interviews with 10 Australian N&D professionals. Thematic analysis was used to understand how they perceive opportunities and barriers for integrating sustainability into practice.

Results: Practitioners’ experience in sustainability practice varied. Themes were identified in two categories: opportunities and barriers. Themes that reflected future practice opportunities included “Preparing the workforce” (for academics and practitioners interfacing with students), “Practical individual level work” and “System level and policy interests”. Themes that were considered barriers to integrating sustainability in practice included “lack of contextual evidence” and “complexity and competing priorities”.

Conclusions: Our findings make a novel contribution to the current literature as we recognise practitioners as a source of experience anticipating where sustainability and nutrition practice intersect. Our work provides practice-informed content and context that may assist educators to create authentic sustainability-focused curriculum and assessment to replicate the complexity of practice.

Details of results:

  • Practitioners found it difficult to name specific examples of sustainability in practice, possibly because of the current landscape where there is a lack of consensus on what sustainability in nutrition and dietetic practice is.
  • Integrating sustainability into nutrition practice was associated with two themes categorized as barriers. These were: a lack of contextual evidence, complexity and competing priorities.
  • Integrating sustainability into nutrition practice was also associated with three themes for opportunities: learning and teaching practice to prepare the workforce; individual-level practice and application; and broader system/policy-level practice.
  • The results show that opportunities and barriers are interconnected, and it is likely that the perceived opportunities can be realized if sectorial, institutional, and government policies change and the profession advances and adapts.
  • Preparing students for practicing with a sustainability lens requires integration of sustainability in its various forms into N&D curriculum and equipping them with the skills and capabilities to contribute meaningfully to N&D practice from an individual to food system level.
  • Knowledge alone may not equip graduates to effectively practice for human and planetary health. Moving forward, practice insights provide a productive platform for curriculum development, both situating practice within the current complex contexts or “realities” at the same time as also considering a future that integrates sustainability and nutrition more closely.
  • There is a predominant environmental focus that may limit the effectiveness of student training, particularly in addressing more challenging and complex situations or settings where environmental concerns must also be balanced with social and economic realities.
  • If governments or institutions have not yet included sustainability within their policies, curriculum developers can. This will then shift the expectation of N&D graduates who may be able to advocate for change from inside government and institutions.

Of additional interest:

⇾ ICDA Learning Modules – These three learning modules are structured to support your knowledge in:

  1. understanding foundational concepts of sustainability and food systems,
  2. understanding the relevance of SFS to nutrition and dietetic practice, and
  3. being able to apply SFS concepts in your practice.

⇾ NDA SFS Position Papers – Several nutrition and dietetics associations are officially recognising the relevance of Sustainable Food Systems (SFS) and/or sustainable diets to nutrition and dietetics practice.

⇾ SFS Education in Nutrition & Dietetics degrees: Global Case Studies – International Dietetic educators integrating sustainability into their curricula. The is an online platform for sharing examples serves as a series of mini case studies

⇾ Teaching Food Systems and Sustainability in Nutrition Education and Dietetic Training: Lessons for Educators (2013) – This is a PDF compilation of research and experiential lesson plans from food, nutrition and dietetic educators in the US and Canada.

⇾ The Food Sustainability Index (FSI) as an Educational Tool (2016) – The FSI has an intended audience of university students and graduate students, by can be used for anyone who interested in learning more about the connection of food and nutrition to sustainable food systems and the Sustainable Development Goals.

⇾ Sustainability: nutrition and dietetic students’ perceptions (2020) – This Australian study explored nutrition and dietetic undergraduate students’ self-reported views and actions related to sustainability, with a view to building a holistic curriculum that includes content and competencies required to address UN Sustainable Development Goals.

⇾ Leveraging Online Learning to Promote Systems Thinking for Sustainable Food Systems Training in Dietetics Education (2021) – A multidisciplinary group of educators, learners, and food systems experts representing eight different institutions across the US worked together over one year to develop, pilot test, and evaluate two interactive webinar series. The series was provided for dietetics interns and graduate students at four university sites in the United States between March and May 2019.

⇾ Summary: How do dietetics students learn about sustainability? A scoping review (2023) – Despite increasing discussion about the role of dietitians in supporting sustainable food systems, effective integration into dietetics curricula is understudied. Some evidence points to the importance of experiential learning, and scaffolded learning about SFS through integration into a number of different courses.

Conflict of interest/funding:

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Corresponding author:

Judith Maher, Doctor of Philosophy (Nutrition and Dietetics), jmaher@usc.edu.au

Summary: How do dietetics students learn about sustainability? A scoping review (2023)

McCormack, J., Rutherford, S., Ross, L. J., Noble, C., & Bialocerkowski, A. (2023). How do dietetics students learn about sustainability? A scoping review. Nutrition & Dietetics. https://doi.org/10.1111/1747-0080.12795

Link to the article

Open Access: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1747-0080.12795

Relevant to:

Dietetic Educators, Dietitians, Dietetic Students

Questions the research focuses on:

  1. What teaching approaches and evaluation strategies have been used to underpin the learning activities focused on sustainability in dietetics entry-level curricula?
  2. What are the learning outcomes of these activities based on the Kirkpatrick-Barr framework?
  3. Have the UNESCO and Commonwealth Secretariat recommendations translated into the delivery of sustainability content in nutrition and dietetics entry-level curricula based on articles published since their development?

Bottom line for nutrition practice:

Despite increasing discussion about the role of dietitians in supporting sustainable food systems, effective integration into dietetics curricula is understudied. Without clear competencies and guidance, educators are doing this ad hoc. More guidance is needed. Some evidence points to the importance of experiential learning, and scaffolded learning about SFS through integration into a number of different courses.

Abstract:

Aim: Globally, sustainability and planetary health are emerging as areas of critical importance. In 2015, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by the United Nations member states. Since then, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the Commonwealth Secretariat have published guidelines for educators to embed sustainability content into curricula. This scoping review aims to identify how student dietitians learn about sustainability, how learning opportunities are evaluated, their outcomes, and whether these guidelines have translated into teaching activities contained in dietetic degrees.

Methods: A scoping review was used to address the aims. Eight electronic databases and Google Scholar were searched from inception to March 2022 for articles describing dietetics students’ participation in learning activities focused on sustainability. Data that addressed the research aims were charted independently by two researchers, then narratively synthesized.

Results: Twelve articles met the inclusion criteria. A range of teaching approaches and evaluation methods were used, from passive learning in lectures to experiential learning activities. A change in knowledge or behaviour was found for experiential learning activities (n = 5). For articles published after 2015 (n = 9), two mentioned the Sustainable Development Goals and no articles referenced the published guidelines.

Conclusions: A paucity of evidence exists describing how dietetics students learn about sustainability and their learning outcomes. Of the 12 articles published, varied teaching approaches and evaluation methods have resulted in inconsistencies in the reporting of outcomes. The minimal reference to the Sustainable Development Goals and published guidelines suggests a slow translation of knowledge to practice.

Details of results:

  • The database search yielded 1363 unique items. A total of 12 articles met the inclusion criteria and were therefore included in this scoping review. With 12 articles found, each used a unique method. This variety in both the teaching approach and evaluation makes it difficult for dietetics educators to choose an approach that maximizes the knowledge and skills attained by students.
  • Given the drive to upskill both students and dietitians alike in this critical area of practice, longer-term outcomes should be measured. Arguably, the depth and complexity of the knowledge required to develop dietetics students who are competent in this area cannot be taught in one course and requires the development of knowledge and skills to occur over a longer time period. This aligns with recommendations made by UNESCO and the Commonwealth Secretariate that suggest scaffolding content across multiple courses to develop key competencies. UNESCO recommends that educators embed an action-oriented, transformative pedagogy, that is scaffolded across the curriculum, and not contained in a stand-alone course.
  • Based on this review, only three articles referred to the Sustainable Development Goals, and no articles referred to the UNESCO or Commonwealth Secretariat Guidelines.
  • Without clear competencies from professional bodies and guidance on what to include in the curriculum, academics with an interest in sustainability may add content only when necessary.
  • Based on this review of peer-reviewed and grey literature, there is limited literature to describe how student dietitians are learning about sustainability within their dietetics education programs. The variable teaching approaches and evaluation methods used have resulted in inconsistencies in the reporting of outcomes, and the minimal reference to the Sustainable Development Goals and other published guidelines suggests a slow translation of knowledge to practice in the higher education setting.

Of additional interest: 

Conflict of interest/ funding:

Open access publishing facilitated by Griffith University, as part of the Wiley – Griffith University agreement via the Council of Australian University Librarians. The authors declare no conflicts of interests.

Corresponding author:

Joanna McCormack, Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) j.mccormack@griffith.edu.au

How do dietetics students learn about sustainability? A scoping review (2023 Jan)

McCormack, J,  Rutherford, S,  Ross, LJ,  Noble, C,  Bialocerkowski, A.  How do dietetics students learn about sustainability? A scoping review. Nutrition & Dietetics.  2023; 1- 11. doi:10.1111/1747-0080.12795

  • Aim – Globally, sustainability and planetary health are emerging as areas of critical importance. In 2015, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by the United Nations member states. Since then, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the Commonwealth Secretariat have published guidelines for educators to embed sustainability content into curricula. This scoping review aims to identify how student dietitians learn about sustainability, how learning opportunities are evaluated, their outcomes, and whether these guidelines have translated into teaching activities contained in dietetic degrees.
  • Methods – A scoping review was used to address the aims. Eight electronic databases and Google Scholar were searched from inception to March 2022 for articles describing dietetics students’ participation in learning activities focused on sustainability. Data that addressed the research aims were charted independently by two researchers, then narratively synthesised.
  • Results – Twelve articles met the inclusion criteria. A range of teaching approaches and evaluation methods were used, from passive learning in lectures to experiential learning activities. A change in knowledge or behaviour was found for experiential learning activities (n = 5). For articles published after 2015 (n = 9), two mentioned the Sustainable Development Goals and no articles referenced the published guidelines.
  • Conclusions – A paucity of evidence exists describing how dietetics students learn about sustainability and their learning outcomes. Of the 12 articles published, varied teaching approaches and evaluation methods have resulted in inconsistencies in the reporting of outcomes. The minimal reference to the Sustainable Development Goals and published guidelines suggests a slow translation of knowledge to practice.

Sustainable food systems and diets in dietetic training standards: an international content analysis (2022 Dec)

Higgins, M,  Strother, H,  Burkhart, S,  Carlsson, L,  Meyer, NL,  Spiker, M, et al. Sustainable food systems and diets in dietetic training standards: an international content analysis. J Hum Nutr Diet.  2022; 1– 10. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.13122 (open access)

Background: Low professional confidence and perceived competence create tangible barriers to integrating sustainable food systems (SFS) and diets into dietetic practice. One opportunity to facilitate more systemic integration into dietetic education and training is to include these concepts in professional standards. To better understand the barrier of low professional confidence and perceived competence for engagement with SFS-related practice, the purpose of this research was to investigate dietetic training standards for SFS content and to highlight opportunities for growth within the profession. Questions posed by this research are: (1) how, if at all, are SFS and diets articulated in dietetic training standards, and (2) to what level of cognitive complexity?

Methods: A content analysis of dietetic training standards documents was conducted between 15 April and 15 September 2021. Search terms included ‘sustain’ or ‘sustainable’, ‘food systems’ and/or ‘diets’. Extracted data with applicable SFS content were analysed for level of cognitive complexity requirements.

Results: Of 47 National Dietetics Associations, researchers obtained 23 dietetic training standards documents, of which 16 included SFS-related content. The majority of documents used broad descriptors of the concepts, with little granularity and at a lower level of cognitive complexity.

Conclusions: Adoption of more robust frameworks for sustainability with specific learning outcomes that can be adapted to regional contexts would strengthen higher education curricula and thus the profession’s ability to contribute more meaningfully to SFSs and diets.

Key points:

  • This research examined how countries are training dietitians for SFS competence.
  • Of 23 dietetic training standards reviewed, 16 included SFS-related content.
  • More than 50% used broad/general language with little granularity; 59% require shallow depth of knowledge.
  • More robust frameworks adaptable to regional contexts would strengthen the training and ability to contribute to SFS.

Authors:

Madalyn Higgins, Heather Strother, Sarah Burkhart, Liesel Carlsson, Nanna L. Meyer, Marie Spiker, Jessica Wegener

Nutrition Professionals as Environmental Stewards and Climate Champions (2022 Mar)

Mary Purdy, MS, RDN

This is an excerpt of a blog post on the Planetary Health Collective site written by Mary Purdy, MS, RDN:

“The intersection of the food system, the environment and human health is nothing short of complex, but as experts in the food and nutrition space, we have an incredible opportunity (and obligation) to be trailblazers in the fight around climate change.  

No matter what sector of the nutrition field we work in, we can exert our influence in many areas, from individual and institutional food consumption to national level food policy. Whether we work with what’s being eaten, how it’s being grown or how it’s being disposed of, we can make a difference.  If you write, speak publicly or have an online platform, you can use it to educate on and promote these ideas and to make plant based food look as delicious as humanly possible.  If you are in academia, you can incorporate issues of sustainability and regenerative agriculture into any and all aspects of your curriculum.  

Again, as systems thinkers and those with a vested interest in human wellness, we cannot separate a healthy foods system from a healthy biological or eco-system. The good news is that the foods that are healthy for humans are usually those that have a lighter environmental footprint [17].  It appears that once again, food is not only medicine for the person, but for the planet and nutrition professionals are leading the charge.”

—

Mary Purdy, MS, RDN is an award-winning integrative eco-dietitian and nutrition educator with a Master’s Degree from Bastyr University, where she is currently adjunct faculty. She has been in clinical practice for 13+ years using a personalized medicine and functional nutrition approach. She teaches and lectures for numerous Universities, institutions and professional educational platforms and presents regularly at national and state conferences on both nutrition and sustainability. She serves as the nutrition and sustainability adviser for Big Bold Health, hosts the podcasts “The Nutrition Show” and “The Good Clean Nutrition Podcast” and authored the books “Serving the Broccoli Gods” and “The Microbiome Diet Reset.” She is a sought-after speaker, consultant and community builder working with organizations to create a more sustainable, just and resilient food system.

Mary has amassed a myriad of scientific papers on a variety of topics on her website related to the impacts of our current industrial food and agricultural system and the effects it is having on human and planetary health.

Impacto ecológico de la alimentación en España (2022)

Presentamos la nueva edición (31) de Cuadernos de las Cooperativas de Consumidores con un monográfico sobre el «Impacto ecológico de la alimentación en España». Nuestros hábitos de alimentación y el sistema actual de producción y consumo de alimentos tienen un indudable impacto en la salud del planeta, de manera que las decisiones de compra y consumo deberían ser tomadas con la mayor información posible.

Como sociedad, es necesario avanzar hacia modelos más sostenibles y todos los eslabones de la cadena alimentaria deben contribuir a mitigar el impacto ambiental de nuestras prácticas y actividades. Analizado en términos de oportunidad, el camino hacia la sostenibilidad se presenta como un buen momento para transformar nuestro sistema alimentario.

En este trabajo se aborda, desde el punto de vista del sector de la alimentación, cómo nuestros comportamientos y decisiones de consumo generan considerables impactos ambientales y qué se necesita para minimizar los efectos de nuestros hábitos cotidianos con respecto a los alimentos. Esta publicación forma parte del Proyecto “Impacto ecológico de la alimentación”, subvencionado por Ministerio de Consumo, y cuenta con el apoyo y colaboración del Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación.

Hemos conseguido reunir las reflexiones de responsables en la materia y reconocidos especialistas, incluyendo los aspectos normativos y nutricionales, dando voz al sector de la producción y la distribución comercial. Cada artículo se aproxima al problema con un punto de vista diferente, configurando un completo trabajo de lectura recomendada.

Las personas consumidoras quieren reducir su huella ecológica y ya apuestan por las empresas que se comprometen y actúan para reducir tanto sus emisiones como los impactos ambientales. Pero cada día es más patente la gran distancia que existe entre la intención y la acción. A esto se añade el aumento del coste de la vida, que impide tomar decisiones de forma responsable con el planeta. En esta situación, el precio se ha convertido en una barrera para el comportamiento sostenible, por lo que debemos tener en consideración a aquellos colectivos de personas vulnerables para que no se queden fuera en estos momentos y avancen igualmente en el camino hacia la reducción del impacto ambiental de los hábitos de compra y consumo de alimentos. 

En la apuesta por la sostenibilidad, compartida de forma unánime por todos los sectores, hay muchas lagunas y la persona consumidora, como último eslabón de la cadena, reclama más información y un compromiso real y contrastable del sector de la alimentación con el medio ambiente, para que se ofrezcan productos que nos permita seguir unos patrones de alimentación más saludables, a la vez que sostenibles. 

Con este Monográfico también queremos hacer, en nombre de las cooperativas de consumo un llamamiento al compromiso sincero con la sostenibilidad, impulsando innovaciones y nuevas oportunidades empresariales, que permitan avanzar hacia un sistema alimentario más sostenible y respetuoso con el planeta y las personas.

Why Bees Matter – The importance of bees and other pollinators for food and agriculture (2018)

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) collaborated with the Republic of Slovenia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Food to create this pamphlet in 2018 for World Bee Day: Why Bees Matter – The importance of bees and other pollinators for food and agriculture. It reports that 3 out of 4 crops across the globe producing fruits or seeds for human use as food depend, at least in part, on pollinators.

“World Bee Day presents an opportunity to recognize the role of beekeeping, bees and other pollinators in increasing food security, improving nutrition and fighting hunger as well as in providing key ecosystem services for agriculture.” – José Graziano da Silva, FAO Director-General.

FAO has a page dedicated to Pollinators.

Pollinator Partnership (website)

Your Health Depends on Pollinators brochure

Pollinator Partnership’s mission is to promote the health of pollinators, critical to food and ecosystems, through conservation, education, and research. Nutritionists can design menus and/or landscaping plans for their own homes, or with their communities in gardens, orchards or commons such as parks, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, schools, religious centres, hospitals, prisons, restaurants – and more!

There are 3 resources in particular that can be useful to nutritionists:

  1. Protecting Pollinators, People, and the Planet brochure, which provides an overview on why pollinators are important
  2. Your Health Depends on Pollinators brochure
  3. Pollinator Friendly Cookbook

Development of an EAT-Lancet index and its relation to mortality in a Swedish population (2021 Nov)

Stubbendorff, A., E. Sonestedt, et al. (2021). “Development of an EAT-Lancet index and its relation to mortality in a Swedish population.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Open access link to article: 

https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqab369

Relevant to: 

Community, Dietetic Educator, Public Health, Researcher

Question: 

We sought to develop a new dietary index to quantify adherence to the EAT-Lancet diet and assess its association with mortality in a large, population-based Swedish cohort.

Bottom line for nutrition practice: 

A large population study from Lund University in Sweden has shown that more sustainable dietary habits are linked to health benefits, such as a reduced risk of premature death from cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Abstract: 

  • Background – Current global food systems threaten human health and environmental sustainability. In 2019, the EAT-Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems defined the first global reference diet to improve both areas, but there is no consensus on how to quantify the EAT-Lancet reference diet as a diet index, and its relation to mortality has not been widely studied.
  • Objectives – We sought to develop a new dietary index to quantify adherence to the EAT-Lancet diet and assess its association with mortality in a large, population-based Swedish cohort. We also examined food components included in the index and their individual associations with mortality.
  • Methods – We used the Malmö Diet and Cancer cohort (n = 22,421; 45–73 years old at baseline). Dietary data were collected using a modified diet history method. The EAT-Lancet index was developed based on intake levels and reference intervals of 14 food components defined in the EAT-Lancet diet (0–3 points per component; 0–42 points in total). Associations with mortality were examined based on registers during a mean of 20 years of follow-up and were adjusted for potential confounders.
  • Results – Divided into 5 adherence groups, the highest adherence to the EAT-Lancet diet (≥23 points) was associated with lower all-cause mortality (HR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.67–0.85), cancer mortality (HR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.63–0.92), and cardiovascular mortality (HR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.54–0.84) than the lowest adherence (≤13 points). Several food components included in the index contributed to the observed reductions in mortality.
  • Conclusions – We developed a new dietary index to investigate adherence to the EAT-Lancet diet. The findings indicate a 25% lower risk of mortality among those with the highest adherence to the EAT-Lancet diet, as defined using our index, which adds to the evidence base for the development of sustainable dietary guidelines.

Details of results: 

Participants received between 5-35 points of the possible maximum of 42 points.

  • Mean score for women was 18.5 and 16.8 for men.
  • Less than 1% of the study population reached the target intake of the EAT-Lancet diet for legumes and nuts.
  • Less than 5% reached the target intakes for whole grains, beef and lamb, and pork.
  • Adherence was highest for poultry and fish, where 77% and 66% of the population reached the target intakes, respectively.
  • Comparing the group with the highest score to the lowest score shows a decrease in total mortality of 25%, cancer mortality of 24% and cardiovascular mortality of 32% in the fully adjusted model.
  • In the less adjusted model the magnitude of the results were even larger.
  • Adherence to each of the 14 food group components included in the EAT-Lancet index and mortality were also tested separately. High intakes of whole grains, vegetables, and fruits, compared to low intakes, were associated with lower risks of all-cause mortality, whereas high intake of eggs was associated with a higher risk.

Of additional interest: 

Scroll down👇🏽 for a pdf of an article released on this study by the author.

Editor’s comment:  

n/a

Conflict of interest/ Funding:  

The authors have no conflict of interest. The study was funded by the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, Crafoord Foundation, and Agenda 2030 Graduate School at Lund University.

External relevant links:  

https://eatforum.org/

Corresponding author: 

Anna Stubbendorff

PhD student

Anna.stubbendorff@med.lu.se

Exploring young Australians’ understanding of sustainable and healthy diets: A qualitative study (2022 Jul)

Ronto, R., Saberi, G., Carins, J., Papier, K., & Fox, E. (2022). Exploring young Australians’ understanding of sustainable and healthy diets: A qualitative study. Public Health Nutrition, 1-13. doi:10.1017/S1368980022001513

Open access link to article: 

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/public-health-nutrition/article/exploring-young-australians-understanding-of-sustainable-and-healthy-diets-a-qualitative-study/4B88F9E0ED4A61EFF37E10CE6AACA0FE

Relevant to: 

Public health nutrition, sustainability

Question: 

Understanding of and motivators of achieving sustainable and healthy diets among young adults

Bottom line for nutrition practice: 

There is a need for the development and evaluation of individual and micro-environmental-based interventions promote sustainable and healthy diets more comprehensively.

Abstract: 

  • Objective: This qualitative study aimed to explore young Australians’ perspectives, motivators and current practices in achieving a sustainable and healthy diet.
  • Design: Semi-structured online interviews were conducted with young Australians. Interviews were audio-recorded using the online Zoom platform, transcribed and analysed using a deductive analysis method by applying the Theoretical Domains Framework and inductive thematic data analysis.
  • Setting: Young Australians recruited via social media platforms, noticeboard announcements and flyers.
  • Subjects: Twenty-two Australians aged 18 to 25 years.
  • Results: The majority of participants were aware of some aspects of a sustainable and healthy diet and indicated the need to reduce meat intake, increase intake of plant-based foods, reduce food wastage and packaging and reduce food miles. Young adults were motivated to adopt more sustainable dietary practices but reported that individual and environmental factors such as low food literacy, limited food preparation and cooking skills, lack of availability and accessibility of environmentally friendly food options and costs associated with sustainable and healthy diets hindered their ability to do so.
  • Conclusions: Given the barriers faced by many of our participants, there is a need for interventions aimed at improving food literacy and food preparation and cooking skills as well as those that create food environments that make it easy to select sustainable and healthy diets. Future research is needed for longitudinal larger scale quantitative studies to confirm our qualitative findings. In addition, the development and evaluation of individual and micro-environmental-based interventions promote sustainable and healthy diets more comprehensively.

Details of results: 

  • Table 2. Themes, subthemes and illustrative quotes fills two and a half pages of the report with useful insights into the population studied.

Of additional interest: 

n/a

Editor’s comment:  

This is not an audience that has a lot of space within this SFS Toolkit. I hope we can change this and get a lot more adolescent and young adult resources.

Conflict of interest/ Funding:  

Macquarie University New Staff Grant (Grant reference number: PURE 109740183) and the Wellcome Trust, Our Planet Our Health (Livestock, Environment and People – LEAP) (Grant number: 205212/Z/16/Z]

External relevant links:  

n/a

Corresponding author: 

Dr Rimante Ronto
Department of Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Australia
Rimante.ronto@mq.edu.au

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