Eating habits and awareness of teenagers about rational nutrition

Aim. To analyze current data on the frequency of consumption of various food groups by adolescents aged 15-17 years, as well as to assess their level of awareness of the principles of healthy eating and its impact on health.

Materials and methods. A retrospective analysis of foreign and domestic publications from sources indexed in databases such as eLibrary, CyberLeninka, GoogleScholar, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library was conducted. Search keywords included: adolescents, healthy eating, eating habits, sweetened beverages, food hygiene, fast food, awareness, and hygiene assessment. The inclusion criteria for publications included relevant studies from the past 10 years, including clinical trials, randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and books and documents in the public domain. Exclusion criteria included newspaper articles and studies without statistically supported conclusions.

Quantitative data on socioeconomic and medical indicators, as well as qualitative data (results from surveys, questionnaires, etc.), were analyzed. Variables (norms, morbidity rates) related to adolescent health were extracted from statistical data collections «Health of the Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Activities of Healthcare Organizations» and regulatory documents.

Results and discussion. Adolescents aged 15-17 exhibit dietary imbalances (excess fast food, high consumption of fats and fast carbohydrates, and a deficiency of fruits, vegetables, and protein foods), as well as low awareness of healthy eating principles. This leads to an increase in non-communicable diseases, in particular: obesity, type 2 diabetes, anemia, and musculoskeletal disorders.

Conclusions. The data obtained during the study confirm the relevance of systematic monitoring of the nutrition of adolescents aged 15-17, especially in the context of the influence of digital media and declining parental control. A review of published data revealed that today’s 15- to 17-year-old adolescents have unbalanced diets and low awareness of healthy eating. Schools can serve as entry points for implementing food literacy programs to help adolescents develop healthy eating habits.

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