Unhealthy diets, including low intake of fruits and vegetables, is an established risk for the development of obesity. Results from a survey of Irish adolescents showed that a lower proportion of those lower social classes reported eating fruits (16%) and vegetables (15%) more than once a day compared to those from higher social class (29% and 26%, respectively). Intervention studies aiming to improve daily fruit and vegetable intake in children have minimal impact on vegetable intake. Research aiming to increase fruit and/or vegetable intake in adolescents is scarce. The Food Dudes Healthy Eating Programme intervention aims to improve fruit and vegetable consumption in Irish primary schoolchildren, but no similar programme is available for adolescents. Adolescents are a challenging population group to engage with, and science- and evidence-based approaches to health and wellbeing conducted so far have ignored adolescence.
This study aims to develop and implement a small-scale intervention programme to enhance vegetable access and intake among socially deprived Irish adolescents. Specifically, the study targets male and female adolescents from deprived areas in Dublin attending post-primary schools that are actively engaged in local youth centres/sports clubs/organisations. A multicomponent and multilevel intervention strategy will be developed targeting adolescents, their families, and local youth centres/sports clubs/organisations. A triangulation of sources, methods and theories will be applied to develop, implement and evaluate the intervention. Adolescents will conduct research (peer-led researchers) and will contribute to the design, development and implementation (role-modelling approach) of the intervention. This will be an innovative and essential feature of this study.
This novel proposal will provide a clearer understanding of the determinants of vegetable intake in socially deprived Irish adolescents. The proof-of-concept nature of the study will deliver evidence-based recommendations and strategies for further translation and/or incorporation into local and national policies to promote healthier diets among these adolescents.
