Research of the Consumption and Healthy Lifestyles Group
The group aims to better understand the drivers of healthy consumption patterns and lifestyles among individuals and groups, and how smartly designed intervention strategies can enable behavior change and promote healthy lifestyles. Particular attention is paid to the research domains of Wageningen University, i.e., food, health and the living environment.
The group takes on a social-ecological perspective towards understanding and fostering healthy consumption and lifestyles, with due attention to individuals, the social groups in which they operate and the environmental factors that may facilitate or hinder behavior change. Intervention design and evaluation addresses social, psychological and technological mechanisms in different contexts (including care and workplace).
The aim is to produce knowledge and insight in two fields of enquiry:
- Understanding how health behaviors and healthy lifestyles arise among various groups.
- How (food) policies and other interventions can change individual behaviors and consumption to benefit healthy lifestyles.
Our theme groups
Inequality, Diversity and Social Change
Addressing inequality, diversity and social change is needed if we want to reduce the social and environmental impacts of our current lifestyles/consumption, combat poverty and food insecurity, and address health inequalities. Critical challenges like climate change and health inequalities are interrelated issues that directly and unevenly affect populations.
Food Transition
Nowadays food consumption is a heavily debated topic. What we eat greatly impacts our health and the environment; and our health and daily environment can influence what we eat. Yet the diets of many contribute to (chronic) disease and threaten planetary health.
Interventions for Healthy Lifestyles
One of the challenges our society is facing today is reducing the burden of chronic diseases. Chronic diseases are often the result of modifiable lifestyle behaviours, such as the quantity and quality of food consumption, which often impact environmental sustainability as well.