Participatory research as a new approach to making decisions and increasing active engagement in health interventions for effectively improving healthy lifestyles behaviours

Identifier:  TDX:4730

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TDX4730

Authors:  Queral Añó, Judit

Abstract:
Healthy lifestyles behaviours (HLBs) are influenced by some intrinsic and extrinsic factors such as barriers and facilitators. The identification of these barriers and facilitators could represent an opportunity for adapting the strategies to improve HBLs. This thesis aimed to provide evidence about participatory research (PR) as a potential new approach to take decisions based on intrinsic and extrinsic factors of the target population and, to increase engagement in health interventions for effectively improving healthy lifestyles behaviours. Studies conducted and obtained finding included: 1) the changes in time study in European adolescents from HBSC data resulted by an improvement of daily fruit consumption in 10 to 36 countries and daily vegetable consumption in 12 of 36 countries. Older, boys and low SES adolescents showed a poor dietary behaviour. 2) A cross-sectional study determined the needs, barriers, interests, and food choice changes in restaurants and customers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Tarragona Region (Spain) and identified that the first COVID-19 lockdown increased takeaway orders, sanitation, and digital communication in restaurants. 3) A study comparison among the 4 co-created interventions from the SEEDS project, elucidated that the type of the activities co-designed in the intervention is associated with the barriers and necessities identified by adolescents in the focus groups of each country.