Assessment of Eating Behaviors and Nutritional Status of Adolescents: A School-based Cross-Sectional Study Conducted in Lahore, Pakistan

Healthy eating patterns, if adopted early in life, support the growth, learning ability, and overall health of children and adolescents. The latter are more vulnerable to nutritional deficiencies due to their inappropriate food choices, peer pressure, unhealthy eating habits, and increased nutritional demand. The current study aimed to determine the degree of compliance of adolescents to the recommended dietary guidelines. A multi-stage stratified cluster sampling design was used to conduct qualitative research during the period January-August 2019. The study population comprised the students of public and private high schools in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. A semi-structured questionnaire that focused on the general dietary intake and physical activity patterns in school setting was filled by interview technique. The determinants of eating behaviors were investigated using descriptive statistics and chi-square. As per the BMI percentiles, 46.2% (651) were underweight, 2.3% (33) were obese, and 6.2% (88) were overweight. The data indicated that the eating behaviors of participants did not follow the recommendations of the Food Guide Pyramid (FGP). However, on a scale of 1-10, it was found that family and advertisements have the highest impact on the food choices of adolescents with the scores of 6.5±2.69 and 6.1±2.77, respectively. The study concluded that adolescents in Lahore do not follow a healthy eating pattern. Nutritional education and interventions must be prioritized to promote healthy eating habits among adolescents.