Abstract
Objective: To study unhealthy dietary behaviors amongst adolescent students in South Delhi and the epidemiological correlates. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Three schools and two colleges in South Delhi. Subjects: Adolescent students aged 14–19 year selected by multi-stage cluster sampling. Statistical Analysis: Proportions, Chi square test, Multivariate logistic regression. Results: Almost half of the respondents reported not having fruits, green vegetables or other vegetables daily. About 177 (32.2%) students were having ‘junk food’ and 28.2% were consuming carbonated soft drinks daily. More boys than girls reported unhealthy dietary practices. One in every two students (49.6%) had missed their breakfast once or more in the past 30 days. On logistic regression analysis, father’s education and type of residence were found to be the two chief correlates of unhealthy dietary behaviors. Adolescents with father’s education level lesser than graduation were more likely to be at risk for unhealthy dietary practices (Odds Ratio 4.5, 95% CI: 1.6–12.7). Those residing in private colonies or bungalows were more likely to be having unhealthy dietary practices, than those from government colonies (OR 2.9, 95% CI: 1.3–6.5). Conclusion: The dietary behavior of an overwhelming majority of the students was found to be unhealthy. The study points to an urgent need for measures amongst the adolescents to prevent a catastrophic burden of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes in the coming generations.
References
Deltels R, Holland WW, McEwen J et al. editors. Oxford textbook of public health. 3rd ed, vol 3. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 1997.
Eating and physical activity during adolescence. Does it make a difference in adult health status? [editorial]. J Adolesc Health. 2004;34:459–60.
International Diabetes Federation. IDF diabetes atlas. 4th ed. Belgium: International Diabetes Federation; 2009.
Jessor R. Risk behavior in adolescence: a psychological framework for understanding and action. J Adolesc Health. 1991;12:597–605.
Delhi districts: population & population density. Demographia. Available at: http://www.demographia.com/db-delhidistr.htm. Last accessed 2010, April 10.
Lien N, Lytle LA, Klepp KI. Stability in consumption of fruit, vegetables, and sugary foods in a cohort from age 14 to age 21. Prev Med. 2001;33:217–26.
Park K. Park’s textbook of preventive and social medicine. 18th ed. Jabalpur: Banarsidas Bhanot Publishers; 2005.
Gawarikar RS, Gawarikar SB, Tripathi BC. Prevalence of anaemia in adolescent girls of Ujjain in Western M.P. Indian J Nutr Diet. 2002;39:493–9.
Heald FP. Fast food and snack food: beneficial or deleterious. J Adolesc Health. 1992;13:380–3.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2003 National School-based Youth Risk Behavior Survey: Public-use Data Documentation. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/YRBS/data/2003/yrbs2003codebook.pdf. Last accessed 2010, April 04.
Wyshak G, Frisch RE. Carbonated beverages, dietary calcium, the dietary calcium/phosphorus ratio, and bone fractures in girls and boys. J Adolesc Health. 1994;15:210–5.
Alam N, Roy SK, Ahmed T, Ahmed AMS. Nutritional status, dietary intake, and relevant knowledge of adolescent girls in rural Bangladesh. J Health Popul Nutr. 2010;28:86–94.
Chugh R, Puri S. Affluent adolescent girls of Delhi: eating and weight concerns. Br J Nutr. 2001;86:535–42.
Lazarou C, Panagiotakos DB, Kouta C, Matalas AL. Dietary and other lifestyle characteristics of Cypriot school children: results from the nationwide CYKIDS study. BMC Public Health. 2009;9:147.
Pearson N, Atkin AJ, Biddle SJH, Gorely T, Edwardson C. Patterns of adolescent physical activity and dietary behaviours. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2009;6:45.
Savige G, MacFarlane A, Ball K, Worsley A, Crawford D. Snacking behaviours of adolescents and their association with skipping meals. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2007;4:36.
Szajewska H, Ruszczynski M. Systematic review demonstrating that breakfast consumption influences body weight outcomes in children and adolescents in Europe. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2010;50:113–9.
Pearson N, Biddle SJ, Gorely T. Family correlates of fruit and vegetable consumption in children and adolescents: a systematic review. Public Health Nutr. 2009;12:267–83.
Choudhary S, Mishra C, Shukla K. Correlates of nutritional status of adolescent girls in the rural area of Varanasi. The Internet Journal of Nutrition and Wellness. 2009;7(2):18.
Conflicting interest
None
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sharma, R., Grover, V.L. & Chaturvedi, S. Recipe for diabetes disaster: a study of dietary behaviors among adolescent students in south Delhi, India. Int J Diabetes Dev Ctries 31, 4–8 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13410-010-0009-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13410-010-0009-8