Longitudinal Association Between Dietary Behaviours and Obesity Development in Young adults: an OBCT study

Briefly describe the purpose(s) and the means of the Research Project in max. 100 words. If 
possible, provide the abstract both in English and in Dutch.
Obesity is a major public health burden in Europe, and it is partially driven by changing 
lifestyle behaviours, including dietary habits -such as reduced home cooking, increased 
convenience food consumption, and frequent snacking. Yet, existing research and 
recommendations often emphasize nutrient intake rather than the underlying dietary 
behaviours that contribute to weight gain. Moreover, the existing evidence predominantly 
relies on cross-sectional studies, and fails to focus on young adulthood, which is a critical 
period marked by lifestyle changes and increased obesity risk. In this project we will explore 
in a first publication the longitudinal association between dietary behaviours and weight in 
young adults (18–40 years), also considering the impact of key life events on such 
association. Findings from this study will inform targeted obesity prevention strategies 
tailored to young adults. In a second publication, we will examine the combined effect of 
dietary behaviors (explored within this OBCT project) and physical activity (studied in a 
complementary OBCT project using the same cohort, submitted through a separate 
application) on prevention of obesity.