The voice of young people is important in promoting healthy eating habits among adolescents

Abstract

Collaboration with adolescent girls can help overcome the structural barriers to good nutrition, say Noor ul Emam and Yashfa Abid Good health and nutrition go beyond knowing what to eat. We must make a conscious choice to eat well and have the means and opportunities to access healthy food options. Poor food choices—of items of low quality and nutritional value—and their harmful consequences affect people of all ages and communities. However, low income communities and those with limited awareness about prioritising healthy eating, are especially vulnerable. A 2022 Unicef report shows that two thirds of children aged under 5 years (around 475 million) in low and middle income countries experience food poverty, lacking access to a nutritious and diverse diet.1 Young people, particularly girls from communities and backgrounds like ours in Lakhwal, a suburban locality of Islamabad where access to facilities is limited, face multiple challenges to good health and nutrition. They are constrained by gender norms, financial limitations, a lack of information about healthy eating, and an environment where unhealthy food is both …