Speaker
Description
Sustainable nutrition plays a crucial role in achieving, both personal well-being and environmental health. However, students often face barriers in adopting alternative dietary habits due to cultural, social, economic and logistical challenges. This study explores the impact of a 1-Month Living Lab intervention on students’ nutrition behaviors, well-being, lifestyle and attitudes toward sustainability, using a mixed-methods approach that combines quantitative cohort assessments with qualitative observations and reflective dietary protocols.
The intervention begins with a pre-intervention workshop, featuring an impulse presentation about benefits and challenges to enhanced well-being. Kick-starting with a reflective phase, indicating self- and external help and pointing towards the synergies between sustainable nutrition and personal health, participants are guided through a design-thinking approach to find solutions for themselves. Participants complete an initial assessment of their dietary habits, lifestyle, and environmental attitudes. Through a co-creation process, they define personalized sustainability goals, aiming to integrate healthier and more sustainable eating behaviors into their daily routines.
During the intervention, participants implement their goals while tracking their nutrition choices and well-being through self-monitoring methods (e.g., digital food diaries, reflection prompts). Social engagement strategies, such as shared cooking experiences and sustainable meal challenges, encourage motivation and behavior change. An observation protocol is used to analyze patterns in food choices, barriers to sustainable nutrition, and adaptation strategies.
At the end of the intervention, participants present prototype solutions—such as meal planning strategies or behavioral nudging concepts—followed by a post-intervention assessment (FFQ, well-being scales) and focus group discussions. The study not only evaluates changes in dietary habits but also examines the interplay between sustainable nutrition and well-being, investigating how healthier and more environmentally friendly food choices can enhance overall mental health. The findings aim to inform scalable and participatory behavior change models that promote both individual well-being and planetary health in student communities.
| Keywords | Living Lab, Sustainable Nutrition, Well-Being |
|---|---|
| Status of your work | Experimental Design |
| Early Career Researcher Award | No, the paper is not eligible |
