SOCIO DEMOGRAPHIC INFLUENCE ON PRACTICE OF DIETARY BEHAVIOR AMONG ADOLESCENTS

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Background: As we know that due to stationary life style and altered eating habits there are certain threats to health of adolescents. This study assesses the relationship between social demographic influence on eating behaviors and its impact on health among the adolescent boys as the kingdom of Saudi Arabia has adopted western style in respect of their routine meals.

Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 375 male adolescents aged between 12 to 21 years. A self-administered questionnaire was used which included questions on socio-demography, awareness of eating habits and life style. Categorical variables were compared by using the Chi-square test. Independent t-test was applied for comparison between the groups. Data were analyzed by SPSS 20.1v.

Result: According to the BMI classification, it has been found that 50.14% subjects were unhealthy. We found that urban and rural area doesn't have any relation (p   0.05) with the rate of awareness among studied subjects. There is sufficient evidence of association (p   0.05) between the level of education and awareness of the food habits. There is no significance (p = 0.259) between level of schooling and BMI of students, while the association (p = 0.001) between the level of schooling and waist circumference has been noticed.

Conclusion: Study deduced that different social factors do have effects on the eating behavior of studied population. Unhealthy and fast lifestyle altered the eating pattern of adolescents and affected their health status. Though, the efforts to educate adolescents and increase awareness can make a positive change to promote health and developments of adolescents.

Key words: Adolescents, Eating behavior, Knowledge, Nutrition, Puberty, Social influence