Dietary habits during adolescence—results of the Belgian Adolux Study

Abstract

Objective of the present study: To analyse the usual dietary habits of Belgian adolescents from a high cardiovascular risk population. Methods: A food frequency questionnaire (57 items) was administered to the whole sample. Complementary questions speci®ed some types of food (eg fat content). A subgroup of 234 adolescents gave detailed information on portion size (picture book and food samples). Setting: Twenty-four secondary schools in the Belgian province of Luxembourg. Subjects: A total of 1526 adolescents (12 ± 17 y) selected by a multiclustered stage sampling (participation: 83.6%). Results: Respectively 46% and 60% of the adolescents did not eat fruit and vegetables daily. Most of the adolescents (72%) consumed at least one dairy product daily. The frequent consumption of chocolate and French fries indicated the strong cultural in¯uence on dietary habits while imported foods (like hamburgers) had little success. One-third of the adolescents (33%, n 509) drank alcohol at least once a week and this proportion rose to 57% in the oldest age group. Boys and girls differed signi®cantly in their diet, with girls choosing healthier foods. Dietary habits, in particular drinking habits, differed also signi®cantly between education levels, assessed by the learning option of the participants. The semi-quantitative questionnaire showed that two-thirds of the adolescents had a lipid intake (mainly saturated fatty acids) which exceeded 35% of the total caloric intake. Complex carbohydrates represented less than half of the total carbohydrates intake. Conclusion: The study of the diet of Belgian adolescents con®rmed the strong in¯uence of tradition, in particular on the consumption of high fat content foods. The promotion of healthy diet in adolescents should consider the cultural in¯uence, even for this young age group.

Evaluation of dietary Intake and Food Patterns of Adolescent Girls in Sistan and Baluchistan Province, Iran

“…The findings of this study were comparable with values reported by earlier studies [1,3,21,22]. However, a higher E% of fat was found in some reports [12,23].…”

Nutrition-related habits of Greek adolescents

“…On the other hand, more than 75% of Greek school students reported daily consumption of fruits and around 40% daily consumption of vegetables, consumed either raw or cooked. In contrast to the observations from Nordic, Middle, and Northern European countries (Gregory et al, 2000;Samuelson, 2000;Paulus et al, 2001), adolescents in Greece, as in other Southern European countries (Amorim Cruz, 2000), seem to preserve some of the well-known characteristics of the so-called Mediterranean type of diet, namely the high intake of fruits and vegetables, but, at the same time, they exhibited high intakes of saturated fats and simple sugars, due to the increased consumption of cakes, biscuits, confectionery, crisps, and fast foods. Such a dietary pattern may be explained by the phenomenon of the nutrition transition discussed below.…”

“…Gender and age are known factors that influence the adoption of healthful eating patterns in adolescents (Fraser et al, 2000;Lytle et al, 2000;Lien et al, 2002;Story et al, 2002). Girls are more likely to report healthier food choices, more fruits and vegetables and less high-fat content foods, such as potato crisps and chips, hamburgers, cakes, and pastries (Andersen et al, 1995;Inchley et al, 2001;Paulus et al, 2001). This may be attributed to the increased nutrition knowledge observed in women (Pirouznia, 2001), but most likely to the weight concerns of young females and their involvement in slimming diets, which make them more willing to choose low-fat foods such as fruits and vegetables.…”

Estimated energy intake, macronutrient intake and meal pattern of Flemish adolescents

“…In Belgium, regional differences between a Walloon survey (Paulus et al, 2001) and the present study (Flanders) can be identified. Their comparison suggests that the energy intake is higher in the Walloon part than in the Flemish part of Belgium, respectively AE 14.65 vs AE 10.88 MJ for boys and AE 10.46 vs AE 8.37 MJ for girls.…”

“…Until now, there has been almost no epidemiological data on nutrient intake of adolescents available in Belgium. The latest Flemish survey, based on a one day food record, dates from 1978 (Verdonk et al, 1982) and the latest Walloon survey, based on a food frequency questionnaire, dates from 1995 (Paulus et al, 2001).…”