Cross sectional study on behavioral determinants associated with sugary foods and beverages and its corelates with body mass index among adolescents

Abstract

Background: Adolescence is the period that demands high nutrients with changes in dietary habits making them vulnerable. Foods high in calories and deficit in essential nutrients increases risk for overweight. The habits are guided by multiple factors including behavioral determinants. Therefore this study aims to identify the status of and factors associated with behavioral determinants on adolescents in regard to sugary items. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 768 adolescents of Nagarjun Municipality Kathmandu from September 2022 to January 2023. This study used a multistage random sampling. The chi square test and logistic regression were applied to analyze the results in SPSS V.16 and p-value less than or equal to 0.05 was considered as statistically significance. Result: Adequate level of knowledge was found among 84.11% (95% CI: 81.52 to 86.70) of the adolescents. Positive attitude was seen among 60% of the adolescents (95% CI: 56.55 to 63.49). The percentage of adolescent consuming items was 84.50% (95% CI: 81.94 to 87.07). Odds of having adequate knowledge among respondents was twice (AOR=2.05 95% CI: 1.12 to 3.76) more likely for those who were living with their parents. Female adolescents (AOR=2.51 95% CI: 1.61 to 3.89) whose mother are homemaker (AOR=1.99 95% CI: 1.04 to 3.58) and father are engaged in foreign employment (AOR = 2.09 95% CI: 1.04 to 4.21) were more likely to consume sugary items. Prevalence of overweight was seen among 6.38% (95% CI: 4.64 to 8.11) of respondents. Consumption was seen to be significant to the model overweight versus normal [OR=11.95 (95% CI: 1.61 to 88.42)]. Conclusion: Presence of adequate knowledge was not the only and adequate factor for food selection. Family indulged interventions can be useful as familial factors seem to be affecting behavioral characteristics. Sugary foods and beverages are associated with overweight. Hence interventions focusing on dietary discipline is also recommended. Keywords: Sugary foods; Sugary drinks; Adolescents; Overweight