Improving measurement and developing solutions to support individual self-efficacy to make healthy food choices
Research Line: Preserving Health / Seed Call: i4PH October 2023
The prevalence of ultra-processed foods in the current food environment poses a significant threat to public health. These foods undermine individuals’ self-efficacy to make healthy dietary choices and contribute to the rising burden of diet-related chronic diseases such as obesity and cardiovascular diseases. However, gaps in the literature exist regarding the objective definition of ultra-processed foods, their varied nutritional composition, and the socio-economic factors influencing their consumption.
Objectives and Route to Impact
The project aims to address these gaps and advance the understanding of ultra-processed foods’ impact on self-efficacy for healthy eating. Key objectives include:
- Objective definition of ultra-processed foods: Develop a legally accepted objective definition of ultra-processed foods to underpin ethical interventions and policies promoting healthy eating.
- Health effects across Socio-economic groups: Gain insights into the health effects of ultra-processed foods across different socio-economic groups over the life-course in the Netherlands.
- Integrative approaches for healthy eating: Co-create and evaluate ethically sound integrative approaches, including digital interventions and policies, to support different consumer groups in substituting unhealthy ultra-processed products with healthier alternatives.
The project’s long-term objectives include generating an improved characterization of ultra-processed foods and their health effects across different socio-economic indicators. It will inform the development of effective interventions and policies to support healthy and affordable food choices, addressing health disparities in adults.
Methods
To achieve these objectives, the project will undertake the following methods:
- Consortium meetings: Organise in-person consortium meetings to define research aims, outcomes, and work packages for a larger grant and initiate the grant-writing process.
- Literature review and policy analysis: Conduct a literature review and policy analysis to identify existing definitions of ultra-processed foods and assess their inclusion in food policies and digital interventions targeting vulnerable adult population groups.
- Preliminary analysis: Analyse socio-economic factors associated with the consumption of ultra-processed products using data from the Dutch National Food Consumption Survey and the Alpha Omega Cohorts.
Contribution to Cross-EWUU Collaboration
The project fosters collaboration between WUR, TU/e, and UU, leveraging diverse expertise in nutrition, public health, epidemiology, policy, and digital health. By bringing together researchers from different backgrounds, the project ensures a comprehensive examination of ultra-processed foods and promotes the development of ethical, self-efficacy promoting policies.
Project Team
- Dr. Neha Khandpur – WUR, Nutrition and Disease
- Dr. Maartje Poelman – WUR, Consumption and Healthy Lifestyles, Social Sciences
- Dr. Pieter van Gorp – TU/e, Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences
- Prof. Marianne Geleijnse – WUR, Nutrition and Disease
- Dr. Carlijn Kamphuis – UU, Interdisciplinary Social Science
- Prof. Marcel Verweij – UU, Philosophy and Religious Studies
- Dr. Sanne Djojosoeparto – WUR, Consumption and Healthy Lifestyles, Social Sciences
- Dr. Liesbeth Velema – Netherlands Nutrition Center