Consumption of Junk Food by School going Children in Rohtak district, Haryana: A cross-sectional study

Dr.Ginni Agrawal; Dr.Piyush Jain; Amit Kumar Mital

Volume : VIII, Issue : XI, November - 2019

Consumption of Junk Food by School going Children in Rohtak district, Haryana: A cross-sectional study

Dr. Ginni Agrawal, Dr. Piyush Jain, Amit Kumar Mital

Abstract :

BACKGROUND: Consumption of energy dense food with high sugar/fat/salt content and low nutrient value in terms of protein/fie/vitamin/mineral content constitute Junk Food which invites various health problems. High consumption of JF is associated with increased risk of obesity, diet-related noncommunicable-diseases (hypertension/diabetes/dyslipidaemia/metabolic-syndrome/cancers/etc) indicating burgeoning health concerns in the near future for children. OBJECTIVE: Young generation is getting addicted to JF indicating a serious public health problem; hence this study was conducted to find the prevalence and determinants of JF consumption among school going children of Rohtak district. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 children, selected randomly, studying in a government school of district Rohtak, Haryana, by using semi-structured self-administered questionnaire. Data was analysed using SPSS-Software. RESULTS: High prevalence (84.5%) of JF consumption during the last 24-hours among school children (Mean age=13.40�1.79years) was found, out of which 53.85% were males and 46.15% were females. JF intake was found to be higher among males (p=0.01). The most popular JF item was chips (68.05%) followed by soft-drinks (66.86%), chocolate (56.80%), bakery-products (46.75%) and others (25.44%). However, 64.50% children were consuming 2 or more JF items in the last 24-hours of the survey. The study found that the JF was consumed mainly as snacks from shops outside the school after the school-hours. CONCLUSION: There is need to initiate nutrition interventions to reduce the high intake of JF by educating children regarding the possible health consequences. The formation of laws to regulate the marketing and advertising JF around school premises may help in reducing the consumption of JF among children.