Capabilities, opportunities, and motivations influencing young people's sustainable and healthy food-related...

The present-day food system places a heavy burden on environmental sustainability and human health, underscoring the need for sustainable and healthy food behaviours. Engaging youth in this transition is vital, as dietary habits formed early in life have long-lasting impacts. This systematic review synthesises evidence on how capabilities, opportunities, and motivations-derived from the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-Behaviour (COM-B) model-and their interactions relate to sustainable and healthy food behaviours among youth, identifying key barriers and facilitators. Medline, Embase, PsycInfo, and Web of Science were searched for studies exploring at least two COM-B components associated with sustainable and healthy food behaviours in school-aged individuals aged 18 years and younger. Studies addressed plant-forward diets, local or seasonal foods, food waste, or general sustainable food practices. Factors were classified as barriers or facilitators using the COM-B framework. Twenty-five studies met the inclusion criteria. Motivation (n = 22), opportunity (n = 22), and capability (n = 19) were examined with comparable frequency. Lack of knowledge was the most studied barrier, but knowledge alone rarely changed behaviour. Taste was the strongest barrier, with young people preferring meat and familiar foods over seasonal or local options. Studies examining interrelations between COM-B components (n = 11) showed that taste was shaped by environmental and motivational factors, including familiarity, prior experience, food identity, and social norms. Sustainable and healthy eating in young people is shaped by interacting capability, opportunity, and motivation factors. Interventions are likely most effective when targeting multiple COM-B domains, particularly by addressing taste and social influences. REGISTRATION: The protocol is registered in PROSPERO: CRD42023408387.