40% adolescents skip meals: Study

VADODARA: For 15-year-old Shreya, breakfast is a luxury she gets to enjoy only on Sundays. She is among many adolescents for whom skipping breakfast has become the norm.
A recent study of eating habits of adolescents showed that over 40% of them do not have regular breakfasts, while 45% skip meals at least twice a week.
The study by city-based doctors surveyed 1,440 students from 30 different schools in the age group of 12 years and 18 years.According to the experts, irregular eating habits pose a greater threat to adolescents who already binge on junk food.
“Healthy eating habits are important as this age group is associated with increased nutritional needs. Dietary patterns like meal skipping, particularly breakfast, or irregular meals along with low consumption of fruits and vegetables are common,” said researcher Dr Sangita Patel.
Experts claim that change in lifestyle is the major reason behind the trend. A student of standard nine Shreya, a case in point, said, “I need to reach tuition at 6am every day and then to school. I literally have no choice but to skip breakfast.”
However, students during the study were able to correctly identify healthy food, but showed an inclination towards junk food.
“Most respondents correctly mentioned good and common sources of energy and vitamins. They could point out cooking practices leading to reduction in nutritive value of food items like excessive washing of grains,” Patel added.
Adolescence is a period of increased vulnerability to obesity, experts said. Lack of physical activity, along with the consumption of fat-rich ‘junk’ foods, is major cause of obesity, experts said.
“Consumption of a diet that is high in sugar, saturated fat, salt, and calorie content can lead to early development of obesity, hypertension, dyslipidaemia and impaired glucose tolerance. Adolescents have a hectic schedule that lead to such irregular and extremely unhealthy meal and sleep patterns,” said dietician Dr Purvi Parekh.