YAHEE targets young adults, many of them living in difficult socio-economic conditions especially after the COVID-19 pandemic and in the midst of a cost of living crisis.

Young adulthood (18-25 years) is a critical life stage with a shift to less healthy diets and lower physical activity levels.

YAHEE aims to generate an improved understanding of, and provide an evidence base on “upstream” enabling factors and barriers in the food and physical activity environment that drive healthy lifestyle behaviours in young disadvantaged European adults. Based on a citizen science and systems vision, YAHEE engages with participants, local stakeholders and policy makers to gain insights into potential leverage points for policies and interventions.

YAHEE will make use of large existing cohorts (NutriNet-Santé in France, HELIUS in the Netherlands) to collect and analyse data on food and physical activity environments in relation with lifestyle behaviours of students in tertiary education and in ethnically-diverse young populations.

YAHEE will perform field studies using an innovative digital tool (Travel Track) allowing young citizens in Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Taiwan to monitor their living environments for promotion of active transport and healthy food behaviour. Young adults will engage in Group Model Building workshops to capture their experiences and identify leverage points for policies.

YAHEE will address adoption of policies that make food and physical activity environments more health-enhancing. Systematic literature reviews will be performed and case studies on adoption of specific policies will be conducted in Germany (on digital and non-digital food marketing) and in Belgium (on a fiscal policy to promote fruits and vegetable consumption).

YAHEE will synthesise, integrate and disseminate findings from the project for translation into interventions and policies with relevant stakeholders, impacting the health of young adults.