Teenagers’ Junk Food Intake and Their Awareness Level

Concerning Its Negative Effects on Health

Author: Estera Andreea Gabor4th year – Faculty of Medicine, Tirgu-Mures

Scientific supervisor: Associate Professor Tarcea Monica

Nowadays junk food is highly accessible to teenagers, given the growing number of fast-food restaurants in the proximity of educational establishments and the wide range of packed snacks and soft drinks affordable in every store.

The young people’s preference for an unhealthy diet is common knowledge at the level of the entire society.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the young generation’s consumption of junk food, the degree of acknowledgement of its negative effects and the teachers’ and parents’ involvement in their education regarding this issue.

Introduction

378 students from: „Europe Elementary School”, „Unirea” National College and

„ Transilvania” Economical High School from Targu Mures, also “Auto” Technical College from Drobeta Turnu Severin and „Traian Lalescu” Teoretical High School from Orşova

Measure of assessment: questionnaire with 20 items.

Material and methods

Sex M/F Age <15/>15

Zone MH/MS0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

F/>15/MSM/<15/MH

193

186

258

121

295

84

Results

Distribution of cases by gender and area

YesNo

89.94%

10.06%

Results

Fast food consumption among girls in Mures area

YesNo

83.33%

16.67%

Results

Fast food consumption among boys in Mures area

YesNo

100%

Results

Fast food consumption among girls in Mehedinti district

YesNo98.33%

1.67%

Results

Fast food consumption among boys in Mehedinti district

Results

2%

85%

6%

1%6%

It is cheap

I like it.

It is easy to find.

All my friends are consuming it.

Other reasons.

Reasons of junk food consumption for girls in Mureş zone

Results

0%

75%

12%

4% 9%

It is cheap.

I like it.

It is easy to find.

All my friends are consuming it.

Other reasons.

Reasons of junk food consumption for boys in Mureş area

Results

0%

78%

22%

0% 0%

It is cheap.

I like it.

It is easy to find.

All my friends are consuming it.

Other reasons.

Reasons of junk food consumption for girls in Mehedinti district

Results

2%

69%

15%

2% 12%

It is cheap.

I like it.

It is easy to find.

All my friends are consuming it.

Other reasons.

Reasons of junk food consumption for boys in Mehedinti district

Results

Mureş Mehedinţi0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

86%83%

69%

81%

Girls yes Boys yes

Distribution of interest in changing diet habits in Mureş and Mehedinţi zone comparing girls and boys

YesNo84.06%

15.94%

Results

Diet education in schools in Mures zone

YesNo

28.572%

Results

71.428%

Diet education in schools in Mehedinti district

We observed that students from Mures are more willingly to change their diet than those from Mehedinti district (especially the girls) so a nutrition intervention here will have better results

The reasons of junk food consumption among the pupils are mostly because they like it (especially for girls vs boys) and secondly because it is easy to find it (especially for Mehedinti area, that can be a cause for this bad habit that can be focused on the local authorities to change in the future)

The frequency of fast food consumption is higher among the girls group and in Mehedinti versus Mures district

Mures has a better involvment in school education for a better life style and a proper nutrition than Mehedinti area.

Conclusions

Thank you for

your attention!