Research Report: Opportunities for Food and Drink Purchasing and Consumption by Teenagers

Authors Gill Cowburn, Anne Matthews, Aiden Doherty, Alex Hamilton, Paul Kelly, Julianne Williams, Charlie Foster and Michael Nelson, University of Oxford and University of Edinburgh, Public Health Nutrition Research

Published by Public Health Nutrition, April 2015

SUMMARY

While the introduction of school food standards has made it easier for young people in England to make healthy choices at lunchtime and throughout the school day, there is little known about what influences their food choices beyond the school gate. The research team wanted to investigate the choices made by young people when buying and eating food on the way to and from school. In doing so they were interested in trialling a new method of research involving wearable cameras which would record teenagers' journeys to and from school and the purchases they made. The researchers wanted to find out if this would help young people remember more accurately what they bought.