NUTRITIONAL LITERACY EDUCATION AS A PREVENTIVE PATHWAY FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF THE FUTURE WORKFORCE

Mental Health is an important factor in work productivity and effectiveness in the workplace. Though remedial measures in the work environment are common in workplace interventions, the need for an independent pathway of prevention in the education system has arisen considerably. The paper is based on an ongoing doctoral research project focused on the development of nutritional literacy programmes for secondary school students.

Nutritional literacy includes knowledge and attitudes. Eating behaviours have important applications in the cognitive and mental processes, such as emotion regulation and stress coping. The teenage years include an important phase, where eating behaviours are shaped and practised throughout later stages of adulthood, including the work environment. This article presents a conceptual framework and programme elements that focus on developing adaptive eating behaviours and health-promoting attitudes toward foods.