Tanya Braune

Background: Adequate fruit and vegetable intake is important for preventing chronic disease. The transition from adolescence to early adulthood involves changes in their social and environmental context, lifestyle and behaviours that may determine lifelong dietary patterns. Differences that emerge between populations over this age range may lead to long-term health inequalities. This study examined the trajectories of fruit and vegetable intake among young adults in the United Kingdom (UK) and Australia. Methods: We analysed data from young adults aged 16–30 years from the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS; n = 2751) and the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey (HILDA; n = 6255). Hybrid mixed-effect regression models were fitted to assess intake trajectories of fruit and vegetables, exploring differences by sex and socioeconomic position. Results: Fruit intake decreased and vegetable intake increased with age in both countries. Fruit intake trajectories differed by sex in both cohorts, while vegetable intake trajectories differed by sex in Australia only. Parental education was a predictor of fruit and vegetable intake trajectories in both cohorts, with differences between groups with high and low parental education narrowing with age in Australia for fruit intake. Conclusions: The differing trajectories emphasise the importance of understanding contextual influences to effectively tailor public health strategies. Our study highlights early adulthood as a critical period for developing dietary patterns that could influence long-term health outcomes, with differences between groups emerging quickly. Addressing these inequalities is essential when developing policies aimed at improving diet among young adults and reducing the prevalence of chronic disease.

Background: Adolescence and early adulthood is an important period for the development of health behaviours and diet quality, which may persist through adult life. Socioeconomic position (SEP) during early adulthood shows associations with inequalities in diet quality and cardiometabolic health later in adulthood, yet little is known about how dietary inequalities develop during adolescence and early adulthood. This study aimed to identify distinct diet quality trajectories observed across adolescence and early adulthood; and explore the association between parental and individual SEP and these trajectories. Methods: The Raine Study is a large multigenerational cohort (n=1984) based in Western Australia. Dietary data was self-reported at five time points from ages 14 to 27 years. Growth mixture modelling was used to identify distinct diet quality trajectories based on Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet scores. Multinomial logistic regression was used to determine the associations of parental SEP (maternal education level; and household income at age 14) and individual SEP (school leaving age) with diet quality trajectory membership. Results: Three diet quality trajectories were identified: consistently low quality (41%), low-to-high quality (42%), and consistently high quality (16%). The ‘low-to-high’ diet quality trajectory showed a steep increase in diet quality from ages 14 to 20 years. Higher parental SEP was associated with a higher diet quality trajectory. After adjusting for parental SEP, leaving school before year 11 remained strongly associated with the low diet quality trajectory. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates the development of dietary inequalities across adolescence and early adulthood, highlighting the importance of emerging individual SEP, in addition to parental SEP in shaping this. Interventions to improve diet quality in early adulthood are particularly needed among those who leave education at a young age.

Background Adequate fruit and vegetable intake is important for preventing chronic disease. The transition from adolescence to early adulthood involves significant life changes that may determine lifelong dietary patterns. Dietary habits in early adulthood often fail to meet recommended guidelines, particularly in less affluent groups, setting the foundation for long-term health inequalities. This study examined the trajectories of fruit and vegetable intake among young adults in the United Kingdom (UK) and Australia, analysing variations by sex and socioeconomic position (SEP). Methods We analysed data from young adults aged 16–30 years from the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS) (n = 5,132) and the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey (n = 2,981). Hybrid mixed-effect regression models were fitted to assess trajectories of fruit and vegetable intake, exploring differences by sex and SEP. Results As young adults aged, fruit intake decreased while vegetable intake increased in both countries. Age-related trajectories of vegetable intake differed between females and males in Australia, but not in the UK. Parental education was a significant predictor of vegetable intake trajectories in both cohorts, with inequalities widening with age. Conclusions The differing trajectories of fruit and vegetable intake among young adults in the UK and Australia emphasise the importance of understanding contrextual influences to effectively tailor public health strategies. Our study highlights early adulthood as a critical period for establishing dietary patterns that could influence long-term health outcomes. Addressing inequalities is essential when developing policies aimed at improving diet among young adults and reducing the prevalence of chronic disease.

Summary: Adolescence is an important period of increasing independence, when adolescents experience changing influences of family and friends on their diets as they transition into adulthood. We conducted a scoping review to map the literature on interpersonal determinants of diet quality and eating behaviors among individuals aged 13–30 years. We searched seven literature databases, and following screening, 329 papers were included. Determinants were grouped according to sub‐categories of the Determinants of Nutrition and Eating framework: family structure ( n = 122), social influences ( n = 121), parental behaviors ( n = 90), family food culture ( n = 83), social support ( n = 69), parental feeding styles ( n = 24), parental attitudes/beliefs ( n = 8), and parental resources/risk factors ( n = 6), and we added two new sub‐categories: parenting style ( n = 74) and partner behaviors ( n = 6). Fruit/vegetable ( n = 143) and sugar‐sweetened beverage ( n = 102) intake were the most commonly measured diet outcomes, and breakfast consumption ( n = 41) and fast food/takeaway intake ( n = 39) the most commonly examined eating behaviors. This review highlights the gaps in the literature, both across the determinant sub‐categories and also the relative paucity of longitudinal evidence and lack of evidence in emerging adults, particularly outside of university settings. Future research should focus on these areas to provide stronger evidence to support better design of interventions for this age group.

Background: Adolescence is a pivotal developmental stage, where escalating rates of overweight and obesity have raised concerns about diet quality and its association with adverse health outcomes. Parents are known to have considerable influence on childhood diet, but how this influence changes as adolescents mature is unknown. This study investigates the association between parental fruit and vegetable (FV) intake and adolescent FV consumption, exploring how this changes across adolescence and when adolescents leave home. Methods: Adolescents aged 10–30 years (n = 12,805) from the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS), and their parents, reported FV intakes every 2 years. Multilevel linear regression models were fitted to assess associations between parental and adolescent FV intakes, investigating interactions with age and living arrangement, and adjusting for sociodemographic covariates. Results: Parental FV intake was positively associated with adolescent FV intake (β = 0.20 [95%CI:0.19,0.22] portions/day), with the strength of this association lowest during early adolescence (10–14 years) and peaking at 17–18 years (β = 0.30 [95%CI: 0.27,0.33] portions/day). When adolescents no longer lived in the parental home, the association of parental FV intake with adolescent FV consumption decreased, but a positive association was maintained up to age 30 years. Conclusions: Our findings emphasise the enduring effect of parental FV consumption on adolescent FV consumption, highlighting the potential for interventions to promote increased FV intake, acknowledging the lasting influence of parental diet, even beyond the confines of the parental home.

Background Adolescence is a pivotal developmental stage, where escalating rates of overweight and obesity have raised concerns about diet quality and its association with adverse health outcomes. Parents are known to have considerable influence on childhood diet, but how this influence changes as adolescents mature is unknown. This study investigates the association between parental fruit and vegetable (FV) intake and adolescent FV consumption, exploring how this changes across adolescence and when children leave home. Methods Adolescents aged 10-30 years (n=12,805) from the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS), and their parents, reported FV intakes every 2 years. Multilevel linear regression models were fitted to assess associations between parental and adolescent FV intakes, investigating interactions with age and living arrangement, and adjusting for sociodemographic covariates. Results Parental FV intake was positively associated with adolescent FV intake (β=0.20 [95%CI:0.19,0.22] portions/day), with the strength of this association lowest during early adolescence (10-14 years) and peaking at 17-18 years (β=0.30 [95%CI: 0.27,0.33] portions/day). When adolescents no longer lived in the parental home, the association of parental FV intake with their own FV consumption decreased, but a positive association was maintained up to age 30 years. Conclusions Our findings emphasise the enduring effect of parental modelling on dietary choices, highlighting the potential for interventions to promote increased FV intake, acknowledging the lasting influence of parental diet, even beyond the confines of the parental home.