A healthy diet starts with the environment

This is revealed by an analysis of the local food environment, carried out by students and lecturers from the Nutrition and Dietetics programme, and the research group Healthy Lifestyle in a Stimulating Environment at THUAS. The results were published in the Epidemiology Bulletin of GGD Haaglanden.

“It is well known that today’s food environment is often unhealthy. But by examining this in practice, you truly see how strongly the environment steers us toward unhealthy choices”, says Sofie van Rongen, lecturer and researcher in psychology and behaviour change.

Large differences between neighbourhoods

What people eat on a daily basis depends not only on what they know or want, but also on what they encounter around them. In some neighbourhoods, healthy food options are less accessible, while unhealthy choices are present everywhere. This affects the health of residents and widens health inequalities between neighbourhoods.  

According to Sofie van Rongen, the idea that people always make fully free choices about what they eat is too simplistic. “Behaviour does not develop separately from the situation in which someone lives. If the environment primarily offers unhealthy options, eating healthily becomes more difficult.” Our eating choices are strongly influenced by how our surroundings are designed.

A clear picture

The research illustrates what the food environment in the city means for daily life. Students mapped the entire range of food options in a shopping street in The Hague, step by step, gaining a clear picture of what residents encounter every day. These insights help organisations such as the municipality and the GGD work more targeted toward health and prevention.  

Machteld van Lieshout, associate professor of Healthy Nutrition for a Healthy Generation, sees the research mainly as a signal: “It helps start the conversation about how we design our city and the choices we make in doing so.” The fact that the results were published in the Epidemiology Bulletin of GGD Haaglanden ensures that the research is also being used and discussed outside THUAS.

Phone in hand

The research was carried out by Nutrition and Dietetics students. They literally went into the neighbourhood to map out the food supply. With just their phone in hand, they visited every shop in the street. From snack bars to takeaway restaurants. Using photos of each product, they documented what each shop offered.  

Fourth-year student Kikki Verheul was one of the students involved in the research. “You do notice the available options when you walk through the city, but this research really made it stand out. How few healthy choices there are, and how normal that has actually become.”

Much needed

For Deborah Helder, now graduated, the research was an important learning experience. “During the programme, you often work one-on-one with people. This research showed that it’s not just about individual choices, but also about the environment in which people live.”  

For Kikki as well, the research highlighted how strongly health is linked to where people live. She notices that this has changed the way she looks at nutrition and her future role as a dietitian.  

Van Lieshout: “Students learn more here than just theory. Their work is being used in practice and helps take new steps toward a healthier food environment in The Hague. And that is very much needed!” 

Read the full article here (Dutch only): “How healthy is our food environment?”