Systems Science in Nutrition and Dietetics Research: A Practical Lens for Applying Systems Approaches in Research

Research paradigms in nutrition and dietetics research have remained largely hegemonic and reductionistic, leading to interventions that inadequately address complex real-world challenges, such as diet-related chronic diseases. These paradigms have placed emphasis on individual-level interventions that insufficiently account for the evolving individual, environmental, sociocultural and political contexts that shape dietary behaviour and related health outcomes. Viewing topics and problems through a complex systems lens reveals that health and behaviours are influenced by multiple, context-dependent factors that interact and evolve over time. Achieving meaningful improvements in health outcomes therefore requires cross-disciplinary collaboration to build a more complete understanding of a problem and identify the factors and interrelationships driving systemic behaviour over time. The continuing emergence and application of systems science methods highlight the value in reconsidering the application of a complex systems approach to complement traditional research paradigms within nutrition and dietetics research. This paper provides an overview of the opportunities that systems science offers the nutrition and dietetics community and describes how its principles and methods have been used in research, including example areas for future application. Three commonly utilised system science approaches are explored: agent-based modelling, system dynamics, and network analysis. While translating system insights into practice is necessary for achieving real-world change, this paper focuses on practical entry points for getting started in keeping with the aims of this special issue on advancing systems-based practice in nutrition and dietetics. By continuing to embrace systems thinking, the nutrition and dietetics research workforce can strengthen its capacity to understand complexity, design coordinated actions and drive transformative, sustainable improvements in population nutrition-related health.