Browsing by Author "Erola, Milla"

Competitive sports are popular among young people and leisure hobby environments are recognized in the field of food education as important places for informal learning. The roles of parents and coaches are considered central in the formation of young athletes' perceptions of food. The study aimed to describe young athletes' views and experiences of eating that supports wellbeing and to analyze how young people think that the home and hobby environment support eating. This study was conducted using a qualitative research methods. The data consist of ten individual interviews with young athletes aged 13-16. The interview method was a semi- structured theme interview and the original expressions found in the data were analyzed using theory-driven content analysis. The analysis followed a three-step process, which included data reduction, clustering and abstraction. The pursuit of healthiness and a preference for home-cooked food are related to young people's eating. Eating out was very unusual, because restaurant food is not considered to meet the requirements set for an athlete’s diet. There were few species-specific differences in healthy eating in the data. According to young people, family was the most important support for eating, and family support was described by three upper categories: teaching eating practices, healthy family lifestyles, and relying on parents' knowledge. The support received from the coaches ranged from short reminders to more detailed nutrition advice. Experiences about the lack of coach support were also brought up. The results of the study shed light on young athletes’ views and experiences of the support provided by food environments. The results are important in supporting the food education of athletes, when we want to understand young people's experiences of eating that supports well-being. We still need more information about how leisure environments support young people’s eating and what kind of cooperation between different actors takes place in food education environments. Further research could focus on how sports coaches or hobby activity instructors view supporting children's and young people's eating.