Food Boost Challenge: healthy eating for and by young people

Young Dutch people do not eat enough fruit and vegetables. That is a concern because their unhealthy eating patterns increase the risk of becoming overweight or obese. It also increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, some types of cancer and diabetes. But how do you encourage young people to eat more fruit and vegetables? Based on research by the Healthy Lifestyle in a Supporting Environment Research Group among preparatory secondary vocational education and senior secondary vocational education pupils, the young people themselves will come up with solutions in the Food Boost Challenge.

It is mainly young people between 12 to 20 years who eat a lot less fruit and vegetables than the daily recommended amount. By working with young people to analyse and research what they consider to be the problem, we can find solutions that address the needs of this target group.

Challenges for and by young people

The Food Boost Challenge is an initiative of Medical Delta Living Lab VIT for Life, HortiHeroes and Foodvalley NL, with The Hague University of Applied Sciences providing an important contribution as a research partner. The Food Boost Challenge is a component of Healthy@HHS within THUAS.

Together with over 30 partners from education and the business community, the Food Boost Challenge challenges young people to come up with ideas to make healthy eating more appealing.

In four stages – from research to idea formation and from concept development to prototyping – the young people will boost healthier eating patterns for their and future generations.

Research

In stage 1, the Healthy Lifestyle in a Supporting Environment Research Group conducts research – with teachers and students from 9 bachelor’s degree programmes - among preparatory secondary vocational education and senior secondary vocational education pupils into their eating patterns and preferences, with a focus on fruit and vegetables.

In stage 2 (based on these new insights) a challenge will be launched among universities of applied sciences and research university students in the Netherlands. The aim is to create new concepts that will contribute to young people eating more fruit and vegetables.

In stage 3, the selected concepts will be validated in co-creation with students and the business community, and the project will take the first steps towards prototyping.

Stage 4 is the pitch event where the remaining food concepts and prototypes will be showcased with a national reach.

More information

You can find all the information about the Food Boost Challenge on the website: https://foodboostchallenge.nl/?lang=en 

Duration

This project runs until at least June 2022.

Contact

Wendy Scholtes-Bos
[email protected]

Dr. Machteld van Lieshout 
[email protected]

Dr. Sanne de Vries
[email protected]