The forgotten age phase of healthy lifestyle promotion

This paper examines how physical activity (PA) and healthy lifestyles, including nutrition, are promoted to young people. Globally, health systems and policy already neglect adolescents (Tylee et al. 2007), with most targeted campaigns having been tailored for younger children or adults.

The paper investigates 16-18 year olds’ knowledge and understanding of recommended PA levels and healthy nutrition; as well as their experiences of how healthy lifestyles are promoted. In total, 89 (M=51; F=38) adolescents (mean age 16.9 (SD 0.4) years) from 4 schools in South East England (UK) completed an online questionnaire. Questions were sourced from the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (WHO, 2004) and the short form food questionnaire (DQS, 2016). Additional questions focused on how they felt healthy lifestyles were promoted to them and how they would like them to be improved.

More females (76%) than males (64%) didn’t meet recommended daily intakes for food groups. 53% females and 55% males did not undertake recommended PA levels. Furthermore, adolescents reported healthy lifestyles ‘aren’t promoted enough’ and ‘no time is given to educate us in health or nutrition or fitness’. To instil healthy lifestyle behaviours during this life stage, targeted PA and nutrition education is warranted, which may need to be gender-specific.