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Caught in a 'spiral'. Barriers to healthy eating and dietary health promotion needs from the perspective of unemployed young people and their service providers
Davison, J. Share, M. Hennessy, M. Stewart-Knox, Barbara
Davison, J.
Share, M.
Hennessy, M.
Stewart-Knox, Barbara
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2015
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Abstract
The number of young people in Europe who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) is increasing. Given that young people from disadvantaged backgrounds tend to have diets of poor nutritional quality, this exploratory study sought to understand the barriers and facilitators to healthy eating and the dietary health?promotion needs of unemployed young people aged 16�20 years. Three focus group discussions were held with young people (n = 14), alongside six individual interviews and one paired interview with service providers (n = 7). Data were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic content analysis, with themes subsequently mapped onto social cognitive theory (SCT).
Despite having a basic understanding of healthy?eating principles, a �spiral� of interrelated social, economic and psychological problems was perceived to render food and health low?value and low?priority concerns for the young people. Their accounts�corroborated by service providers�revealed a lack of both personal and vicarious experience with food. The proliferation and proximity of fast?food outlets, combined with the high perceived cost of �healthy� compared to �junk� food, contributed to low self?efficacy and a limited sense of control over making healthier choices. Agency was instead expressed through the consumption of junk food and drugs.
Both young people and service providers agreed that for dietary health?promotion efforts to succeed, broader social problems must be addressed and agency encouraged through the active (individual and collective) engagement of the young people themselves.
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Davison J, Share M, Hennessy M et al(2015) Caught in a ‘spiral’. Barriers to healthy eating and dietary health promotion needs from the perspective of unemployed young people and their service providers. Appetite. 85: 146-154.
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