The earlier the better 

Black and white image of young mother and baby son looking inside the fridge for something to eat

Only by listening to parents, to their own needs, we will be able to create health environments for children. 

I am Andreia Ferreira de Moura, an Early Stage Researcher, and I will be investigating healthy eating in the very beginning of life. I will explore the establishment of the family food environment. Because; how parents organize their food-related activities, for themselves and their kids, impacts children for the rest of their lives.  

My attention will be dedicated to study barriers for healthy eating among new parents. I recognize that parenthood brings enormous challenges. Parents are left practically on their own to take decisions every day that will influence their children’s outcome. Everyone around seems to have an opinion on their child’s development, but hardly anyone asks parents how they are, how they can be helped.  

I am curious to understand how parenthood influences eating behaviours and how the presence of a child in the household impacts parent’s relation to food.  

 Listening is an act of love  

A second interesting aspect of my research, is that we aim to go beyond the classical nutrition approach. Instead of simply informing parents what they should or should not eat, we will first listen to their needs and challenges while trying to eat healthy.  

Based on the difficulties narrated by parents, we will develop nudging strategies to overcome those barriers.   

Nudges are actions that lead people automatically towards better choices, in a way that is easy and usually fun. It is necessary to find practical solutions to lead families towards better food choices.  

I am looking forward to share with parents the insights that Edulia will bring to improve their lives. 

eating behaviour, ESR8, parents