Toward Sustainable Diets—Interventions and Perceptions Among Adolescents: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Adolescence is an important life stage during which shifts toward more healthy and sustainable diets can be promoted. Adolescents have increasing influence over their food choices, informed by their developing personal knowledge and values, affecting long-term dietary behaviors into adulthood. The recent literature regarding adolescents’ (1) perceptions of environmentally sustainable diets and (2) interventions to support adolescents to eat sustainably was reviewed in this study. We reviewed published literature that focused on adolescent participants and their perceptions of, or interventions to support, sustainable dietary habits. Five electronic databases were searched to include studies published since 2012 that met the inclusion criteria, including reporting of participants aged between 11 and 18 years, reporting on adolescents’ perceptions of sustainable diets or interventions implemented to improve the sustainability of adolescents’ diets, and framed in the context of sustainability. Data were extracted, including study and participant characteristics, methodology, and results in relation to each of the 2 research focus areas. Twenty-eight articles were included in the review. Findings suggest that adolescents’ understanding of what constitutes sustainable eating is poor. Adolescents who had previously received education regarding sustainable diets valued nature and health, or were from a rural or indigenous community, were more likely to value environmentally sustainable-food choices. Interventions which target adolescents’ understanding of and aspiration to make sustainable-food choices appears to improve their attitudes toward sustainable food, whereas interventions to increase the availability of sustainable foods improved the environmental sustainability of adolescents’ dietary intake. Multicomponent, tailored, and community-based interventions were most effective; however, the long-term effect of these interventions remains unclear. More research is needed in low- and middle-income countries, with consideration of adolescents’ level of autonomy in food choice in local food environments and the long-term effectiveness of interventions. Systematic Review Registration: Open Science Framework identifier osf.io/h3jz6.