Stakeholders engagement model- Social Marketing strategies to improve students’ eating behaviour

Abstract Previous studies have adopted the social marketing framework to investigate change behaviours towards healthier eating habits. However, despite the unequivocal link between Mediterranean Diet and healthy eating, the adoption of social marketing strategies to foster the adherence to such food pattern, remains unexplored, particularly in the context of HEIs. One research goal was to develop a stakeholder engagement model, in order to better craft social marketing strategies aligned with stakeholders’ needs. Hence, as different stakeholders call for different engagement designs, we consider that crossing the Social Marketing Framework with the Stakeholder Engagement Model, provides a solid basis to understand how to engage key stakeholders in the implementation of a program aimed at changing and influencing healthier eating habits aligned with the Mediterranean Diet within public HEIs canteens. Behavioural change in such contexts, demands a systemic and holistic approach, able to engage a diverse range of stakeholders, beyond those whose behaviour is expected to change. Social Marketing provides a strategic framework to promote behavioural change towards collective welfare. In the specific context of public health interventions towards healthier eating habits, this framework has been particularly useful. Hence, in-depth understanding on which stakeholders need to be involved in the social marketing process and at what stages, may yield insights into why some interventions change behaviour and why others do not. Findings revealed that it is not enough to create a single stakeholder engagement model throughout the social marketing plan in a more global perspective, as if one solution fits all. This study highlights the importance of designing glocal social marketing strategies, embedding glocal models of stakeholder engagement: standardizing the tools and practices that are possible and adapting what is necessary so that it has success in different national realities