Early life development is a critical time for setting trajectories for health and wellbeing. The concept of LifeLab was first proposed in 2008, a research-based education programme dedicated to raising adolescents’ awareness of, and interest in, the science underpinning chronic health issues like obesity, diabetes and mental health disorders.
The aim is to encourage teenagers to make positive lifestyle changes by enabling them to discover how their diets and behaviours lay the foundations for a healthier life, and how this is linked to the health of the children they may have in future.
LifeLab has contributed to the delivery of regional public health strategies. Southampton City Council described LifeLab as an ‘excellent scheme’ that is ‘making a genuine difference to the lives of children and families in Southampton’, while Hampshire County Council said it was ‘strongly encouraging all our schools to take up the excellent opportunities offered by LifeLab’.
Photo Credit: University of Southampton