Understanding the Pattern of Adolescents’ Nutritional Behaviour and Lifestyle

Abstract

Introduction: Junk food is increasingly becoming a part of the regular diet for most adolescents in India. Rich in fat and salt content, such food is known to cause nutritional, affective, behavioural, cognitive alterations. The present cross-sectional study thus aimed to understand the patterns of junk food consumption in school-going adolescents in India. Method: A semi-structured, self-administered, pre-tested questionnaire, created by AACCI, was administered in a public co-ed school in central Delhi. The survey consisted of questions on knowledge and choice of junk food and healthy habits. The sample consisted of 140 participants, who were 10th and 11th graders. Results: The foremost reason for choosing junk food was its taste in 78.8% of boys and in 72.3% of girls. There was no significant difference in the frequency of junk food consumption between girls and boys, however, their choices of food differed. Girls reported consuming more sweets (p = 0.034), while boys consumed more high-salt foods (p = 0.031) per week. Of the total boys (54%) and girls (46%), only 35% had a normal BMI. Conclusion: The consumption of junk food by school-going adolescents was high. The study highlights the need for nutritional education and regulatory mechanisms to help students monitor their junk food consumption and the importance of promoting healthy food alternatives, health care habits in this population.