Entering the workplace will bring new experiences, environments and constraints to young people’s lives, that they won’t previously have experienced.

We know that people’s diet, exercise and sleep is strongly influenced by the type of places that people work, for example by working hours, food available in the workplace, or colleagues.

We conducted research to help develop workplaces which promote health and wellbeing and enable young adults to maintain healthy lifestyles.

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What this study is looking to answer

This study sought to address the following research questions:

1) Which groups of young people and types of workplaces are likely to benefit most from interventions to promote better diet, exercise and sleep patterns?
2) What can employers and decision makers in Government and other agencies do to support better diet, exercise and sleep patterns and reduce the risks of obesity among young adults who are entering the workplace for the first time
3) What are the types of changes employers can make to workplaces that are likely to be the most feasible, offer the best value for money, and lead to sustained changes in diet, physical activity and sleep among young adults transitioning into the workforce

What this study aims to do

We first analysed existing data that can tell us about the type of work that young people do and how this relates to diet, exercise and sleep. Secondly we had discussions with groups of young adults and separate discussions with employers and youth- or employment-related organisations. Finally, we brought what we have found from the data and our discussions to a meeting with interested employers in order to scope out what an intervention might look like and assess options for evaluation it.

Our Young Person’s Advisory Group, formed of young adults aged 16-24 years with diverse experience of employment, met every 2 months to contribute to design of the research, research materials, interpretation of findings, and development of the next phase of the research.

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Research Team

• Eleanor Winpenny (Principal Investigator, University of Cambridge)
• Sally Wilson (Institute for Employment Studies)
• Hannah Fairbrother (University of Sheffield)
• Adam Martin (University of Leeds)
• Zofia Bajorek (Institute for Employment Studies)
• Cristiana Orlando (Institute for Employment Studies)

This study is funded by an NIHR Work and Health Development Award.

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Data sharing

Please see our Data Sharing page.