Emerging Adult Nutrition and Policy

The obesity rate in the United States has risen in the past decade and an optimal time to encourage healthy lifestyle habits is during young adulthood, specifically between the ages of 18 to 25.

This transitional period from adolescence to young adulthood is critical for the development of self-identity, self-efficacy, and long-term behaviors and lifestyles.

Public health interventions play a significant role in disease prevention by influencing how individuals, households, and communities make dietary and nutritional choices with implications for long-term social and environmental outcomes. Understanding the dietary behavior and associated factors impacting the health outcomes of emerging adults is critical for the development of more targeted and effective nutrition interventions.

Faculty