The FLY project: mixed methods research to explore the complex social dynamics of sustainable food related lifestyles in youth in practical education

In this session, Soraya van Etten and Lonneke Jansen will present the FLY project: Food-related Lifestyles in Youth.

The present-day food system is a key driver of climate change and biodiversity loss, making it imperative for populations to shift towards more sustainable diets. The involvement of youth in this transition is vital because they are in a formative period where their identities, values, and norms, including their food behaviours, are being shaped. Special attention should be paid to youth in practical education because they are often overlooked in existing studies, yet evidence suggests they may lack the necessary resources to support dietary changes, resulting in lower levels of pro-environmental food-related behaviours. The aim of the FLY (Food-related Lifestyles in Youth) project is to study how sustainable food-related lifestyles and underlying factors develop in early adolescence, particularly in Dutch youth in practical education, how these spread in social networks, and to develop community-level intervention strategies to support youths’ transition to sustainable food-related behaviours. The project adopts a mixed-method approach, combining literature reviews and focus groups with a quantitative cohort study and an experimental research programme in which interventions are piloted and evaluated, and results in a multi-component intervention toolkit, with a particular focus on youth in practical education programmes.