Blog Giving young people a voice to better understand their food environments

In Vietnam  

The research, developed in partnership with the National Institute of Nutrition of Vietnam, began in 2023 and was funded by the CGIAR Research Initiative on Sustainable Healthy Diets through Food Systems Transformation (SHiFT). It took place in three districts: Moc Chau (rural), Dong Anh (peri-urban), and Dong Da (urban) with 54 adolescents (aged 15–17 years) divided into six groups (3 girls’ groups, 3 boys’ groups). The first stage used participatory video-making to capture adolescents' perceptions and interactions with their food environments. The second stage expanded the process by engaging local community adults alongside adolescents (see figure 1 outlining the research process). 

The final videos produced by the adolescents were used during the co-design of community action plans to enhance food environments for better diets.  

The research revealed that adolescents in Vietnam navigate highly diverse food environments, from street stalls and school canteens to convenience stores and home gardens. They have access to both fresh, locally sourced foods and a wide range of packaged, processed, and ultra-processed products. Their food choices are largely driven by affordability, convenience and taste. Key opportunities for action at the community level include increasing the availability of healthy foods in schools, replacing unhealthy food advertisements with positive nutrition messaging; and improving nutrition knowledge and skills of adolescents, households and school actors.  

“Part of the vision is to make healthier food options available through increased commitment of the school and canteen to source nutritious foods and reduce unhealthy options. Increase the consumption of healthy foods by integrating nutrition education into every aspect of learning, empowering students, teachers, and staff” [Dong Anh Community Action Plan]  

In a very different context, the participatory video experience in Kenya was developed with two communities, one agro-pastoralist and the other pastoralist. Both communities are from Turkana County, a drought-prone region with high levels of food insecurity, but with a wide range of wild edible plants that can contribute to dietary diversity and micronutrient intake when seasonal rains arrive. In 2023, 40 young adults (aged 18-24 years) formed eight groups (four groups of women, four groups of men) to capture their perceived food environment through smartphone video-making. Challenging high levels of illiteracy and low levels of digital inclusion (98% of them had never touched a smartphone before), they learned how to create maps of their food environment, create and edit videos, and develop a storyboard to guide them through the editing process. Each group produced a video.