Dr Katherine Livingstone

Veg4Me - A personalised digital health solution for improving vegetable intake and heart health in young adults living in rural communities

Dr Katherine Livingstone, Deakin University

2022 Vanguard Grant

Years funded: 2023-2023

Low vegetable intake is a key contributor to the heart disease crisis facing rural Australians. Yet only 3% of young adults living in rural areas have an adequate intake. If left unaddressed, low vegetable intake in young adults will track into later life, radically impacting on their own health, the health of their future children and perpetuating rural health disparities into future generations. Solutions designed with, not for, young adults have significant potential to improve vegetable intake. Yet few co-designed dietary interventions exist. Our formative research with young adults and local governments co-designed Veg4Me, a state-of-the-art intervention that can be personalised to address unique barriers to vegetable intake experienced by young adults living in rural areas. This project will assess the feasibility of Veg4Me using a randomized controlled trial. Our novel and scalable dietary solution has the potential to improve diets and heart health of young adults, addressing the rural health crisis disadvantaging young Australians.