TY - JOUR
T1 - Bringing down barriers to children's healthy eating
T2 - A critical review of opportunities, within a complex food system
AU - Varela, Paula
AU - de Rosso, Sofia
AU - Moura, Andreia Ferreira
AU - Galler, Martina
AU - Philippe, Kaat
AU - Pickard, Abigail
AU - Rageliene, Tija
AU - Sick, Julia
AU - van Nee, Roselinde
AU - Almli, Valérie L.
AU - Ares, Gastón
AU - Gronhoj, Alice
AU - Spinelli, Sara
AU - van Kleef, Ellen
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - This narrative review revises the scientific evidence of recent years on healthy eating in children and adolescents, making sense of promising avenues of action, from a food system perspective. A conceptual framework is provided to better understand how eating habits of children and adolescents are shaped to identify key multisectoral approaches that should be implemented to promote healthier diets. The following influencing factors are discussed: individual factors (physiological and psychological factors, food preferences and food literacy competencies), factors within the personal and socio-cultural food environments, external food environments, and the supply chain. In each section, the main barriers to healthy eating are briefly discussed focusing on how to overcome them. Finally, a discussion with recommendations of actions is provided, anchored in scientific knowledge, and transferable to the general public, industry, and policymakers. We highlight that multidisciplinary approaches are not enough, a systems approach, with a truly holistic view is needed. Apart from introducing systemic changes, a variety of interventions can be implemented at different levels to foster healthier diets in children, through fostering healthier and more sustainable food environments, facilitating pleasurable sensory experiences, increasing their food literacy, and enhancing their agency by empowering them to make better food related decisions. Acknowledging children as unique individuals is required, through interpersonal interactions, as well as their role in their environments. Actions should aim to enable children and adolescents as active participants within sustainable food systems, to support healthier dietary behaviours that can be sustained throughout life, impacting health at a societal level.
AB - This narrative review revises the scientific evidence of recent years on healthy eating in children and adolescents, making sense of promising avenues of action, from a food system perspective. A conceptual framework is provided to better understand how eating habits of children and adolescents are shaped to identify key multisectoral approaches that should be implemented to promote healthier diets. The following influencing factors are discussed: individual factors (physiological and psychological factors, food preferences and food literacy competencies), factors within the personal and socio-cultural food environments, external food environments, and the supply chain. In each section, the main barriers to healthy eating are briefly discussed focusing on how to overcome them. Finally, a discussion with recommendations of actions is provided, anchored in scientific knowledge, and transferable to the general public, industry, and policymakers. We highlight that multidisciplinary approaches are not enough, a systems approach, with a truly holistic view is needed. Apart from introducing systemic changes, a variety of interventions can be implemented at different levels to foster healthier diets in children, through fostering healthier and more sustainable food environments, facilitating pleasurable sensory experiences, increasing their food literacy, and enhancing their agency by empowering them to make better food related decisions. Acknowledging children as unique individuals is required, through interpersonal interactions, as well as their role in their environments. Actions should aim to enable children and adolescents as active participants within sustainable food systems, to support healthier dietary behaviours that can be sustained throughout life, impacting health at a societal level.
KW - adolescents
KW - Edulia
KW - food choice
KW - food environment
KW - food supply
KW - Keywords:
KW - social environment
U2 - 10.1017/S0954422423000203
DO - 10.1017/S0954422423000203
M3 - Article
C2 - 37746804
AN - SCOPUS:85172870031
SN - 0954-4224
VL - 37
SP - 331
EP - 351
JO - Nutrition Research Reviews
JF - Nutrition Research Reviews
IS - 2
ER -