A science and educational-based approach to diet and lifestyle will help young people improve their own health and the health of their future children, Southampton research has shown. LifeLab Southampton is an innovative intervention run jointly by academics from the Education School and Faculty of Medicine, and part of the National Institute for Health Research Southampton Biomedical Research Centre in Nutrition, which aims to improve young people’s health through education and first-hand experience of scientific approaches at the forefront of modern medicine.
A study, published in the journal Health Education, included a survey of 597 14-year-olds across Southampton, which gauged their views and behaviour in relation to their own health. A group of teenagers who took part in LifeLab were compared with those of their peers, six months after the intervention.
Results showed that LifeLab created a wider appreciation among students that their current lifestyle could aff ect not only their long-term health but also that of their future children.
Dr Marcus Grace, Head of Science Education Research at the Southampton Education School says: “LifeLab’s innovative approach is helping the region’s teenagers understand the science behind common health issues, which in turn is helping them make informed decisions about their own health-related behaviour.”
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