Youth speak up about good nutrition and physical activity in the context of COVID-19
Opinions and recommendations of adolescents and young people to promote healthier lifestyles.
Understanding the challenges they face is a starting point to promote a healthy lifestyle and improve access to nutritious food.
During the pandemic, it has been difficult for many families to have access to healthy food. The confinement measures led to the interruption of health and nutrition services in the region and school feeding programs were affected due to the closure of schools. In the last year, changes in habits, consumer behaviors, access to healthy food and also a reduction in levels of physical activity were evidenced.
To learn more about the challenges faced by adolescents and young people in the region, we invited them to share their proposals on nutrition and physical activity, during and after COVID-19. Their opinions were documented through U-Report, a digital platform that promotes the participation of this population in everyday issues. Listening to them and understanding the challenges they face is a starting point for promoting healthier lifestyles, improving access to nutritious food, and generating more evidence to support decision-making by world and national leaders on issues related to food environments and systems, as well as the promotion of physical activity in the region.
Their experiences and learnings are part of a series of surveys launched by UNICEF between 2020 and 2021, to listen and raise the voices and opinions of adolescents and young people between the ages of 13 and 29 in Latin America and the Caribbean.
What were the most relevant findings related to nutrition and physical activity among the 2020 and 2021 participating U-Reporters, compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic?
- In 2020, the countries most represented in the survey were Mexico, Brazil and Ecuador. In 2021, the most represented were Mexico, Jamaica and Guatemala. In both surveys, the majority of responses were from women.
- In both years, the main barrier to accessing healthy food was the lack of money. Other reported reasons were the scarce availability of healthy food and the fear of families to contract the coronavirus when they went out to buy them.
- Regarding food consumption, since 2020 the consumption of bread, white flour, rice and pasta has increased. Regarding fruits and vegetables, the consumption of this food group varies in the region, registering a lower consumption in most of the countries. Additionally, there was also a notable decrease in water consumption.
- Adolescents and young people changed their physical activity habits. In both surveys, half of the participants reported doing less physical activity than before the pandemic, with women doing less physical activity than men.
- Advertising of unhealthy food is present in media and social media. The majority of adolescents and young people surveyed declared that they saw this type of advertising in the same way as they did before the pandemic.
- Ensuring good nutrition for adolescents and young people, during and after COVID-19, requires a multisectoral commitment. U-Reporters shared their proposals to strenghten regulatory frameworks, social protection systems, communication campaigns and the promotion of physical activity are essential elements to guarantee a healthy lifestyle.
What are the proposals to ensure good nutrition, during and after COVID-19?
Recommendations for national and world leaders
What does it mean to eat well to U-Reporters?
UNICEF shares the following recommendations for adolescents and youth in Latin America and the Caribbean
These perspectives and other recommendations shared by adolescents and youth in Latin America and the Caribbean are documented in the U-Report summary on nutrition and physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The summary calls on world and national leaders to ensure good nutrition for adolescents and young people and presents evidence that supports UNICEF’s interventions in the region and supports decision-making by relevant stakeholders in aspects related to food environments and systems.