Zamarud Khan, Shahzad Ali Khan, Ramesh Kumar, Maria Ahmed Qureshi, Ruqia Rehman, Rana Muhammad Safdar.
Behaviour towards healthy food among studens of private schools in Quetta, Pakistan.
Pak J Public Health Jan ;5(1):9-13.

Background: Obesity is one of the major global problems affecting school going children. During this age group, teenagers start to make individual choices and develop a personalized lifestyle. Many of these lifestyle choices are related to risk factors for obesity, such as unhealthy diet patterns, increased TV watching, and lack of physical activity and eating junk food, all of which are largely modiable. In Pakistan, although under-nutrition and micro nutrient deciencies continue to be major public health problems, over-nutrition and obesity are also emerging as a major problem in many areas. Methods: This study is a cross sectional study conducted at four private schools of Quetta by interviewing 423 students in 3 months of duration. Pretested, validated questionnaire was used to elaborate the perception among students regarding their dietary habits after taking ethical consideration. Data was entered and analyzed and results were interpreted as per objectives of our study. Results: Out of 423 participants, majority was female students and their mean age has been reported as14± 1years. Students were studying in grade 6 - 9 and 62% were familiar with the concepts related to healthy diet. Only 44% students were bringing home packed meals where as 54% was eating junk food at school during the lunch time. It was seen that 53% of the students were aware of the harmful health effects of processed foods though 47% of the students were consuming and liked processed foods. 73% of the students had a proper lunch once they went home where as 26% of the students did not consume a proper lunch and relied on irregular snacking. 81% of the students stated that they had freshly prepared homemade food for lunch at home every day. It was seen that 75% said that they had a liking for junk or fast food such as burgers pizzas, sandwiches and also considered such foods as a treat. It was seen that 37% said that their diets contained a portion of vegetables and fruits in their lunch, 27% said poultry, 24% wheat and wheat products. Conclusion: It was concluded from the study that majority of students eating junk food and cola drinks at school. Keywords: Healthy food, Pakistan, students, private schools. (Pak J Public Health 2015;5(1):1-5)

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