Understanding DOHaD Concepts Among New Zealand Adolescents: A Qualitative Exploration of Knowledge, Intervention Windows, and Information Accessibility

The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) framework has highlighted the role of maternal and paternal health on disease risk in offspring and across generations. Although adolescence is increasingly recognised as a key DOHaD window where interventions may have the greatest impact in breaking the cycle of non-communicable diseases, data around the recognition of this concept in adolescents remain limited. Previous work by our group found that the understanding of DOHaD-related concepts among adolescents in New Zealand was low, including some adolescents showing disagreement with key DOHaD concepts. This qualitative study aimed to explore DOHaD perspectives and understandings among a group of adolescents who responded to the survey using semi-structured focus groups and interviews (<i>n</i> = 12). Four core themes were identified: 1. knowledge of DOHaD and DOHaD-related terminology; 2. understanding different life course windows for DOHaD interventions; 3. recognising that DOHaD-related information needs to be accessible for adolescents; and 4. the importance of developing context-specific resources for adolescents. Adolescents in this study indicated that they had not heard of DOHaD or related terminology. Although the majority recognised that there were many important life stages for potential interventions, there was a strong emphasis on adolescence as a key window of opportunity. Adolescents suggested that more could be done in schools to help promote awareness and understanding of DOHaD-related concepts during the later years of schooling. The development of future resources needs to be contextually specific for adolescents to ensure increased uptake of information during this important developmental window.