A study to assess dietary pattern among school-going adolescents of central India

Abstract

Background In India, adolescents constitute 21.4% that is one-fifth of the total population and world adolescents' (10–19 years) population is more than 1.2 billion. The trend of consumption of fast food increases worldwide, and in India, fast food production and consumption is very high. The popularity of these food is because of easy preparation and more convenient to finish the meal in less time. Great taste, attractive packaging, and advertisement play a very important role in promotion of such food adolescents. Adolescents also develop the various problems related to health because of less nutritious diet, such as Chinese food, junk food, and beverages. Methodology The present study was a cross-sectional study and conducted for a duration of three months from January 2017 to March 2017. A total of 437 adolescents enrolled with their consent from five randomly selected schools of a city in Madhya Pradesh, India. All adolescents who were present in school on the day of visit and willing to participate were included in the study. Result In our study, a total of 437 students were registered, out of which 97.02% were boys. About 41.82% were of early adolescence and the rest of them were of late-adolescence group. Majority of the adolescents consumed regular meals such as chapati (84%), rice (79%), and dal (74%), they consumed relatively less, green leafy vegetables (60%) than the other vegetables (67%). Most of the participants consumed milk most of the days in a week, but more than 20% students consumed fried food/pizza/burger/fast food more frequently (more than 4 days a week) in a week, and only very few students were not consuming these foods or consuming less frequently. Conclusion Most of the adolescents consume regular meals, but adolescents consumed irregular or skipping of meal and breakfast is still high. And more than 50% adolescents consumed chocolate/pastries/sweet/cake/cookies/bread/toast/cookies/biscuits/cold drinks/soft drinks/potato chips/namkeens/deep-fried snacks/pizza/burger/Frankie, or any other fast food (including Chinese food), these foods are highly energy dense and have less nutritious value.

Keywords

• adolescent
• dietary pattern
• school health