Factors associated with frequent consumption of fast food among Australian secondary school students

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (8) ◽  
pp. 1340-1349
Author(s):  
Maree Scully ◽  
Belinda Morley ◽  
Philippa Niven ◽  
David Crawford ◽  
Iain S Pratt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Fast Food ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Weight Status ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Snack Food ◽  
School Students ◽  
Fast Food Consumption ◽  
Frequent Consumption

AbstractObjective:To examine demographic and behavioural correlates of frequent consumption of fast food among Australian secondary school students and explore the associations between fast food consumption and social/environmental factors.Design:Cross-sectional survey using a web-based self-report questionnaire.Setting:Secondary schools across all Australian states and territories.Participants:Students aged 12–17 years participating in the 2012–2013 National Secondary Students’ Diet and Activity survey (n 8392).Results:Overall, 38 % of students surveyed reported consuming fast food at least weekly. Being male, residing in lower socio-economic areas and metropolitan locations, having more weekly spending money and working at a fast food outlet were all independently associated with consuming fast food once a week or more, as were several unhealthy eating (low vegetable intake and high sugary drink and snack food intake) and leisure (low physical activity and higher commercial television viewing) behaviours and short sleep duration. Frequent fast food consumption and measured weight status were unrelated. Students who agreed they go to fast food outlets with their family and friends were more likely to report consuming fast food at least weekly, as were those who usually ‘upsize’ their fast food meals and believe fast food is good value for money.Conclusions:These results suggest that frequent fast food consumption clusters with other unhealthy behaviours. Policy and educational interventions that reach identified at-risk groups are needed to reduce adolescent fast food consumption at the population level. Policies placing restrictions on the portion sizes of fast food may also help adolescents limit their intake.

scholarly journals What factors are associated with frequent unhealthy snack-food consumption among Australian secondary-school students?

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 2153-2160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philippa Niven ◽  
Maree Scully ◽  
Belinda Morley ◽  
Louise Baur ◽  
David Crawford ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Fast Food ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Snack Food ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
School Students ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Snack Foods ◽  
Unhealthy Snack

AbstractObjectiveTo examine demographic and behavioural correlates of unhealthy snack-food consumption among Australian secondary-school students and the association between their perceptions of availability, convenience and intake with consumption.DesignCross-sectional survey of students’ eating, physical activity and sedentary behaviours using validated instruments administered via an online questionnaire.SettingAustralian secondary schools across all states/territories.SubjectsSecondary-school students aged 12–17 years participating in the 2009–10 National Secondary Students’ Diet and Activity (NaSSDA) survey (n 12 188).ResultsApproximately one in five students (21 %) reported consuming unhealthy snack foods ≥14 times/week (‘frequent snackers’). After adjusting for all covariates, older students and those with a BMI of ≥25 kg/m2 were less likely to be frequent snackers, while students who reported high fast-food and high sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and those who watched television for >2 h/d were more likely to snack frequently. Furthermore, after adjusting for all covariates and demographic factors, students who agreed that snack foods are usually available at home, convenient to buy and that they eat too many snack foods were more likely to be snacking frequently. Conversely, students who agreed that fruit is a convenient snack were less likely to be frequent snackers.ConclusionsFrequent unhealthy snack-food consumption appears to cluster with other poor health behaviours. Perceptions of availability and convenience are factors most readily amenable to change, and findings suggest interventions should focus on decreasing the availability of unhealthy snack foods in the home and promoting healthier options such as fruit as convenient snacks.

Socio-economic disparities in Australian adolescents’ eating behaviours

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
pp. 2753-2758 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philippa Niven ◽  
Maree Scully ◽  
Belinda Morley ◽  
David Crawford ◽  
Louise A Baur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Fast Food ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Eating Behaviours ◽  
School Students ◽  
Sugar Sweetened Beverages ◽  
Economic Disparities ◽  
Sweetened Beverages

AbstractObjectiveTo assess the association between socio-economic position (SEP) and poor eating behaviours in a large representative sample of Australian secondary-school students.DesignCross-sectional survey of students’ vegetable, fruit, sugar-sweetened beverage and fast-food consumption assessed using validated instruments and collected via a web-based self-report format.SettingSecondary schools across all Australian states and territories.SubjectsSecondary-school students (n 12 188; response rate: 54 %) aged 12–17 years participating in the 2009–10 National Secondary Students’ Diet and Activity (NaSSDA) survey.ResultsOverall, 25 % of students reported consuming ≤1 serving of vegetables/d and 29 % reported eating ≤1 serving of fruit/d. Fourteen per cent of students reported drinking at least 1–2 cups of sugar-sweetened beverages/d while 9 % reported eating fast food ≥3 times/week. After adjusting for other demographic factors, students of lower-SEP areas were more likely to report low intake of vegetables (F(4, 231) = 3·61, P = 0·007) and high frequency of consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (F(4, 231) = 8·41, P < 0·001) and fast food (F(4, 231) = 4·59, P = 0·001) compared with students of high-SEP neighbourhoods. A positive SEP association was found for fruit consumption among female students only (F(4, 231) = 4·20, P = 0·003). Those from lower-SEP areas were also more likely to engage in multiple poor eating behaviours (F(4, 231)=5·80, P < 0·001).ConclusionsResults suggest that socio-economic disparities in Australian adolescents’ eating behaviours do exist, with students residing in lower-SEP neighbourhoods faring less well than those from high-SEP neighbourhoods. Reducing social inequalities in eating behaviours among young people should be a key consideration of future preventive strategies.

scholarly journals Influence of dietary and activity patterns on weight status of Ukrainian school aged children

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Halyna Pavlyshyn ◽  
Kateryna Kozak ◽  
Victoriya Furdela ◽  
Tetiana Kovalchuk ◽  
Nataliia Luchyshyn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Fast Food ◽  
Weight Status ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Moderate Physical Activity ◽  
School Students ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
Fast Food Consumption

AbstractObjectivesDietary patterns and physical activity have significant influence on weight status. Despite numerous studies related to this topic, there is no existing research which provides complete population-based studies that identify the most significant predictors of pediatric obesity. Therefore, it has become the major goal of our study.Subjects and methodsThree hundred school students between 10 and 17 years of age were participating in our study. All of them are currently attending various schools in city of Ternopil, Ukraine. Anthropometric measurements were performed for all participants. Information about food consumption and physical activity was obtained from distributed questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to identify the significant predictors of obesity.ResultsLack of physical activity during week (OR=2.59 [95% CI 1.10–6.08]), long screen time in weekdays (OR=2.94 [95% CI 1.13–7.69]) and weekends (OR=3.63 [95% CI 1.55–8.50]), frequent consumption (OR=2.60 [95% CI 1.30–5.19]) and high amounts (OR=2.52 [95% CI 1.26–5.05]) of sweet beverages, fast-food consumption (OR=30.97 [95% CI 1.46–657.60]) and overeating (OR=3.99 [95% CI 1.26–5.05]) have increased chance to be overweight in children 10–17 years of age (p<0.05).ConclusionDecreased frequency in moderate physical activity per week, increased amount of sugar-sweetened beverages, fast-food consumption per day and food consumption without hunger, appear to be the most significant predictors of overweight and obesity among Ukrainian school-aged children.

scholarly journals “My Life during the Lockdown”: Emotional Experiences of European Adolescents during the COVID-19 Crisis

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (14) ◽  
pp. 7638
Author(s):  
Alberto Forte ◽  
Massimiliano Orri ◽  
Martina Brandizzi ◽  
Cecilia Iannaco ◽  
Paola Venturini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Emotional Experiences ◽  
Point Scale ◽  
School Students ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Public Health Strategies ◽  
Web Platform

This study investigates, using an online self-report questionnaire, adolescents’ emotional reactions during the lockdown in a sample of 2105 secondary school students (aged 14–19) in Italy, Romania, and Croatia. We used a self-reported online questionnaire (answers on a 5-point scale or binary), composed of 73 questions investigating the opinions, feelings, and emotions of teenagers, along with sociodemographic information and measures of the exposure to lockdown. The survey was conducted online through a web platform in Italy (between 27 April and 15 June 2020), Romania, and Croatia (3 June and 2 July 2020). Students aged >14 years, living in a small flat, and not spending time outside were more likely to report anger, sadness, boredom/emptiness, and anxiety. Boys were significantly less likely than girls to report all measured emotional reactions. Those who lost someone from COVID-19 were more than twice as likely to experience anger compared to those who did not. Our findings may help identifying adolescents more likely to report negative emotional reactions during the COVID-19 pandemic and inform public health strategies for improving mental health among adolescents during/after the COVID-19 crisis.

Another Look at Secondary School Students' Attitudes toward Reading

1980 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 187-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramon Lewis ◽  
William H. Teale
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Individual Development ◽  
Attitudes Toward Reading ◽  
School Students ◽  
Peer Ratings ◽  
Validity Data ◽  
Research Issues ◽  
Students Attitudes

Argues that secondary school students' attitudes toward reading may be conceptualized multi-dimensionally as consisting of Individual Development, Utilitarian, and Enjoyment factors. Describes the development of self-report scales designed to measure each of these dimensions of reading attitude. Factor analyses showed the dimensions to be distinguishable empirically one from the other. The three scales were found to be internally consistent (α = .69-.92) and stable (α = .72-.90). Concurrent validity data based on peer ratings are also provided. Implications for pedagogical and research issues arising from this conceptualization of attitude toward reading are also discussed.

scholarly journals Cooking Frequency Associated With Dietary Quality in iCook-4H Youth Participants at Baseline

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 117863881983679
Author(s):  
Amber D Ford ◽  
Sarah E Colby ◽  
Marissa McElrone ◽  
Lisa Franzen-Castle ◽  
Melissa D Olfert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Consumption ◽  
Fast Food ◽  
Weight Status ◽  
Vegetable Intake ◽  
Dietary Quality ◽  
Fast Foods ◽  
Assistance Programs ◽  
Fast Food Consumption ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Pearson Correlations

Background: Increased intakes of ready-made and fast foods paralleled with decreased homemade food consumption have been associated with increased rates of obesity. Researchers have shown associations between cooking self-efficacy (SE) and cooking frequency (CF) with dietary quality and weight status. Some cooking interventions have shown positive associations with dietary outcomes, such as increased fruit and vegetable intake and decreased fast food consumption. There is still much unknown about SE and CF, especially among youth. Objective: Determine baseline SE and CF and the associations with dietary quality and body mass index (BMI) of youth enrolled in iCook 4H. Methods: Youth (n = 228, ages 9-10 years) completed online surveys assessing SE, CF, dietary quality, and demographics. Anthropometrics were collected to calculate BMI-for-age percentiles and weight categories. Descriptive statistics were completed for CF, SE, BMI categories, and demographics. Differences in CF and SE by sex, race, and participation in government assistance programs were determined through independent-sample t tests. Pearson correlations were used to assess the association between dietary quality and CF and SE. Associations between CF and dietary quality were assessed further through 2-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs) that included CF and sex and CF and race as independent variables. Associations between SE and CF and BMI were assessed through ANOVAs. Results: Thirty-seven percent of youth were overweight or obese. Females reported significantly higher CF than males ( P = .042). Cooking frequency was positively associated with dietary quality ( P < .001), but BMI was not associated with dietary quality. SE was not associated with dietary quality or BMI. Conclusion: Based on results, CF was positively associated with dietary quality among youth. More research is needed to assess how different types of cooking relate to diet and BMI. Interventions are needed to determine whether increasing CF leads to better diet outcomes.

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