Introduction. Sensible eating habits are considered – apart from physical activity – to be a major component of a healthy lifestyle. Many research results indicate numerous unhealthy dietary habits in a diet of schoolchildren and adolescents. Aim. This paper is aimed at presenting and assessing eating habits of 12–17-year-olds from Zachodniopomorskie and Małopolskie voivodships in Poland.

Material and methods. 11 596 original surveys were carried out. The research was aimed at assessing the model of daily food consumption among children and adolescents aged 12–17 yrs. from West Pomeranian voivodship and Lesser Poland voivodship (including 5879 girls and 5717 boys) from urban and rural environments. The technique used was the original questionnaire. In the research (survey) the following factors were included: frequency of meals, job status of the parents, eating between meals, the place of food consumption and eating disorders. These results were subjected to statistical analysis, using Pearson’s Chi-square test, Cramer’s V and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient.

Results. The results indicated that almost 50% of subjects ate their 1st meal before school; the 2nd meal was consumed by 47.91% of subjects; dinner was eaten by 84.90% (mostly at home); and supper – by 72.27% of subjects. As their favorite food products, the subjects indicated fast-food meals, chips/crisps and fizzy drinks. Alarmingly, subjects tended to eat snacks between meals (sweets, chips/crisps). In the researched population of 12-17-year-olds, initial symptoms of dietary disorders were identified: gluttony and lack of control over eating (12.53%) and revulsion to eating (avoiding food) (12.03%).

Conclusions. Unhealthy dietary habits were dominant amongst the subjects. Subjects attached little significance to the number of meals per day. Majority of subjects consumed fast food products, crisps/chips and sweets. A significant proportion of subjects noticed alarming symptoms in their bodies, related to unhealthy dietary habits.

Cite

Sygit K. Unhealthy dietary habits in population of 12–17-year-olds and their consequences. Medical Review 2015; 13 (4): 344–357. doi: 10.15584/medrev.2015.4.2