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. 2022 Dec 7;14(24):5218.
doi: 10.3390/nu14245218.

How Can We Support Healthy Eating in Young Adults with Low Diet Quality? A Survey of Users of the 'No Money No Time' Healthy Eating Website

Megan Whatnall  1   2 , Lee M Ashton  1   3   4 , Marc T P Adam  5 , Hannah McCormick  1 , Erin D Clarke  1   2 , Fiona Lavelle  6 , Tracy Burrows  1   2 , Melinda Hutchesson  1   2 , Clare E Collins  1   2
Affiliations

How Can We Support Healthy Eating in Young Adults with Low Diet Quality? A Survey of Users of the 'No Money No Time' Healthy Eating Website

Megan Whatnall et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Nutrition interventions to support young adults are needed due to low diet quality. The aims were to explore the (1) circumstances and (2) barriers regarding dietary habits of the young adult users of the No Money No Time (NMNT) healthy eating website with the lowest diet quality scores. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted from August-September 2022 with a sample of NMNT users aged 18-35 years with low diet quality (defined as Healthy Eating Quiz score 0-38/73). The survey included demographics (e.g., gender), circumstances (6-item US Food Security Survey, Cooking and Food Skills Confidence Measures), and challenges and resources used in relation to healthy eating (open-responses). Theoretical thematic analysis was used to analyse open-response questions and derive main themes. The study sample (n = 108; 71.3% female, median age 28; 28.7% food insecure) had a mean (standard deviation) Cooking Skills score 70.2 (17.5)/98, and median (interquartile range) Food Skills score 96.0 (83.5-107.5)/133. The main challenges regarding healthy eating were (1) time and (2) cost, and the main resources to support healthy eating were (1) online resources (e.g., websites, Google) and (2) recipes. Findings identify possible targets for future interventions to support healthy eating in this vulnerable group (e.g., supporting cooking and food skills).

Keywords: diet quality; eHealth; online; young adults.

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Conflict of interest statement

C.E.C. is the founder of the Healthy Eating Quiz. The Healthy Eating Quiz was first developed and published in the online format in 2012 through Newcastle Innovation, the University of Newcastle. There is no financial gain from individuals completing the online quiz.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Summary of themes identified as challenges to healthy eating among young adults who use the ‘No Money No Time’ website.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Summary of themes identified as resources or tools used to help in making healthier food choices among young adults who use the ‘No Money No Time’ website.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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