Urban Indian adolescents practise unhealthy dietary behaviours

Abstract

Purpose The rising prevalence of obesity among Indian adolescents has underscored the need to develop effective strategies to reduce this epidemic. The purpose of this paper is to assess the patterns of snacking, meal consumption and fast food consumption among adolescents in private schools in Kolkata, India. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional, paper-based, self-administered dietary and lifestyle survey was completed by 1,026 year-nine students aged 14–16 years. Cross-tabulation analyses were performed to compare the frequencies of various dietary behaviours across gender. Findings The two most common episodes for snacking among respondents were while watching television (57.9 per cent) and while interacting with peers (54.1 per cent). In contrast, snacking throughout the day (8.7 per cent) and in the middle of the night (7.8 per cent) were minimally practiced by the adolescents. The most regularly consumed meal was lunch (94.6 per cent), whereas the most frequently missed meal was breakfast (14.0 per cent). Fast food was most frequently consumed as snacks (26.8 per cent) but least frequently consumed for lunch (9.2 per cent). Overall, boys exhibited more unhealthy dietary behaviours than girls. Practical implications These findings highlight the need to develop nutrition education programmes for nutritionally vulnerable adolescents which communicate the importance of regular meal consumption, reduced intake of fast food and less snacking on energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods. Originality/value This is the first cross-sectional survey to investigate patterns of snacking, meal consumption and fast food consumption amongst urban Indian adolescents.

Perceptions of eating and food preparation behaviours for urban private school students in India

“…eating a fruit may involve washing and peeling (Chan et al 2016). It is likely that the perceived inconvenience associated with eating and preparing healthy foods prompts adolescents to consume energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods including fast food on a regular basis (Chan et al 2016;Larson et al 2016;Rathi et al 2017bRathi et al , 2018c. Engagement in healthy meal preparation is critical to the development of healthy eating behaviours, better emotional well-being, and stronger family bonds (Utter et al 2016).…”

“…Data were collected via a paper-based, self-administered, cross-sectional survey, using a Dietary and Lifestyle Questionnaire (DALQ). Methodological details of this survey have been published elsewhere (Rathi et al 2017b(Rathi et al , 2017d(Rathi et al , 2018a(Rathi et al , 2018b(Rathi et al , 2018c and will be discussed only briefly here.…”

“…These obesogenic dietary habits have been variously attributed to the rapidly mushrooming fast food environment and pervasive marketing of unhealthy foods in the contemporary Indian society (National Institute of Nutrition 2010; Rathi et al 2016). Additionally, many adolescents frequently skip meals and snack on fast food frequently (Kotecha et al 2013;Joseph et al 2015;Rathi et al 2018c). This practice of unhealthy eating suggests many adolescents may be unaware of or ignore healthy eating messages (Croll et al 2001).…”

Parents’ and Teachers’ Views of Food Environments and Policies in Indian Private Secondary Schools

“…These environments are frequently associated with adolescents’ increased consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods (such as pizza, chips, and candies) [ 7 , 9 ]. Indeed, Indian adolescents demonstrate unhealthy eating habits [ 43 , 44 ]. Overconsumption of unhealthy foods and beverages is viewed as an important contributor to adolescent obesity [ 45 ].…”

Promotion of Healthy Eating in Spanish High Schools

“…Obesity and overweight, and in general bad eating habits, have virtually increased epidemically in the last two decades, concerning increasingly younger individuals and making interventions in this regard necessary [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed childhood obesity as “one of the most serious public health problems of the 21st century, progressively affecting low- and middle-income countries and, above all, urban areas” [ 7 ].…”