Junk Food Consumption and its Associated Factors in High School Students in Rasht in 2017

Abstract

Background: Junk food consumption is an unhealthy adolescent nutritional habit that is affected by family structure, peer groups, and socioeconomic status. The present study was conducted to determine the association between junk food consumption and personal, familial, and social characteristics considering high school students in Rasht, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 341 students in their second year of high school in Rasht, Iran in 2017. They were selected using a two-stage cluster random sampling. Data was collected using a checklist. Data was analyzed in SPSS 16 using Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests at a significance level of 0.05. Results: Sweet snacks were consumed the most (27.3%). Frequency of junk food consumption was significantly higher in students whose fathers had a university degree (P=0.037) and those with monthly family income of more than 2 million Rials. (P=0.004). Conclusions: The results indicate that students whose fathers have a higher education and income level have more tendencies toward junk food consumption; hence, it is worth considering the relevant factors in order to improve the adolescents' health.

Keywords

• adolescent
• nutrition
• snacks
• family
• fast food