AB037. Digital health education for food literacy: developing content creation guidelines for promoting healthy food choices among youth in Sri Lanka
Abstract

AB037. Digital health education for food literacy: developing content creation guidelines for promoting healthy food choices among youth in Sri Lanka

Sumaiya Mubarak1, Roshan Hewapathirana1, Tharanga Thoradeniya2, Susith C. Athukorala3

1Department of Medical Technology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka; 2Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka; 3National Cancer Institute, Maharagama, Sri Lanka

Background: Youth are connected through digital platforms and exposed to a vast amount of information. Poor food literacy may influence their dietary habits, contributing to non-communicable diseases and obesity. Traditional health promotion efforts do not effectively reach the youth. The content presentation through digital platforms is necessary to reach them effectively and promote healthy eating. The objective of this study is to develop a guideline for content creators to use digital platforms accurately and effectively to promote healthy food choices among youth.

Methods: Mixed-methods research informed by the Diffusion of Innovation theory was conducted to formulate the guideline. A rapid review was performed to identify strategies utilized by content creators on digital platforms. A cross-sectional study was used to analyze usage and perceptions of online healthy food content among youth (n=382) in Sri Lanka. The evidence gathered was used in the focus group discussion to develop the guideline. The guideline was validated using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II).

Results: Thirty-two articles were selected from 380 retrieved for the rapid review. Strategies to reach and engage youth were categorized into digital platforms, messaging, and self- monitoring. The cross-sectional study revealed that youth predominantly use handheld devices and personal data/Wi-Fi to access social media daily (72.9%) and video-sharing platforms (62.1%). They favor concise, visually appealing content (53.1%) in video (74.7%) or image (62.1%) formats with positive emotions. Testimonials and success stories, especially for females (P=0.039), motivate healthy eating habits. The guideline, developed after the focus group discussion, was validated using the AGREE II tool. It scored highly in scope, purpose, stakeholder involvement, and rigor of development.

Conclusions: A validated guideline for content creators backed by evidence to create concise, visually appealing video and image content on digital platforms effectively engages youth and contributes to improving food literacy.

Keywords: Consumer health informatics; digital platforms; health communication; young adults

Footnote

Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Open Access Statement: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits the noncommercial replication and distribution of the article with the strict proviso that no changes or edits are made and the original work is properly cited (including links to both the formal publication through the relevant DOI and the license). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

doi: 10.21037/jphe-26-ab037
Cite this abstract as: Mubarak S, Hewapathirana R, Thoradeniya T, Athukorala SC. AB037. Digital health education for food literacy: developing content creation guidelines for promoting healthy food choices among youth in Sri Lanka. J Public Health Emerg 2026;10:AB037.

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