Findings from the SWS showed that education is linked to how healthy and balanced a woman’s diet is. So the more qualifications she has the better her diet, according to recommended guidelines, such as eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

Because young women’s diets are important in shaping the health and well-being of future generations, it is important to understand what influences women when they are choosing food for themselves and their families. We also wanted to find out what stops women improving their diets, even when they might want to, and find ways to support them to make changes.

We have carried out  focus group studies to investigate what historical, environmental, social and psychological factors influence the food choices of young women. We held 11 discussion sessions with small groups of women and used the information we collected to guide the development of a questionnaire which was used with young women attending baby clinics and family centres in Southampton. This helped us understand the relationship between diet, educational attainment and various psychosocial factors.

As a result we have developed interventions to help improve the health behaviours of young women that are currently being assessed in studies run by the staff in the MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre.