According to researchers who want to know more about the rise in obesity rates, office canteens may be causing obesity in young people.
Scientists at the University of Cambridge are trying to figure out why young people’s eating habits change so much between leaving school and starting work or higher education.
Because the focus in recent years has been on obesity in children and adults, this age group represents the “missing middle” when it comes to evidence of lifestyle changes, the researchers said.
The Diet and Eating Behavior in Early Adult Transition (DEBEAT) study examines the causes of changes in diet and eating behavior in early adulthood, a life stage in which obesity rates increase.
Researchers seek to understand how changes in the social environment, local food environment, and economic factors affect diet and eating behavior as teens leave school, go to college, and work.
The research team will recruit 1,500 high school students and collect data from each over the next year.
“This is a really important age group in terms of how people become independent adults,” said lead researcher Dr. Eleanor Winpenny I.
“The study will collect data on the transition from this time in school and the first year after school – to higher education or to work – and seek to understand what is happening in people’s lives, how the environment they are in is changing, and what impact these changes have on their diet and health behavior.”
The rise in obesity has been a problem for medical professionals for many years. Since 1993, the percentage of adults in England who are overweight or obese has increased from 52.9% to 64.3%, and the percentage of obese people from 14.9% to 28.0%. Obesity costs the NHS £6bn a year
A 2017 study found that poor nutrition in hospitals was one of the leading causes of obesity for one in four nurses, with an even higher rate among older workers.
D. R. Winpenny said: “We have worked with international datasets, but often the data we work with does not contain details.
“Take the transition from school to work, for example, when the time you spend in the environment changes, the pressure you put on yourself, the people you interact with, which in terms of accessibility in the work cafeteria is something that the rules are. All of these things are likely to have a major impact on your life, but research often lacks the ability to go into detail to this level.
“We know that over 50 percent of the population is overweight or obese before they turn 30, but this is something that has not been studied in detail in terms of what happens and what causes it. Usually the focus was on childhood, and we worry when people get heart disease or diabetes, but in terms of what happens halfway through, there wasn’t much research at the time.
“The transition from school to college or to work and perhaps away from home is where you establish the socioeconomic position that you will be in more or less for the rest of your life. for the majority of people. It seems to be an important age.”
The researchers hope to provide recommendations that will help people eat healthier foods.
“The end goal is that if we understand what is happening, we can work with workplaces to help them improve their environment so that young people can lead healthier lives,” the doctor said. Winpenny.
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.