Vol. 9, Issue 5 (2020)

Objective of the study: The research study was planned to find out the food practices and fast food consumption among adolescent school girls in urban and semi-urban areas.

Methodology: A sample of 240 subjects (120 urban and semi-urban each ) aged 15-17 years were selected purposively from two schools, namely the Maharani Gayatri Devi School, Jaipur and Vinayak Vidhya Peeth School, Bhunas in Bhilwara District of Rajasthan. Data collection was carried out by using a semi-structured, pre-coded questionnaire schedule regarding food practices; and consumption of fast food was assessed by using food frequency questionnaire.

Results and conclusion: Regarding their food habits, 47.0% of semi-urban girls were having only milk in their breakfast whereas 54.2% were reported to miss their breakfast 1-2 times in a week. Eighty percent of urban girls had their breakfast regularly. It was also found that in semi-urban areas subjects were used to have early lunch instead of breakfast. About 23.0% semi-urban and 34.0% urban subjects had canteen snacks in recess time. More urban subjects (45.0%) were reported eating outside on weekly basis as compared to semi-urban subjects (20.0%). Chocolates, instant noodles, kachoris/samosas and golgappas were the items consumed most frequently by semi-urban subjects. Urban subjects reported the frequent consumption of burger, pizza, chowmein, pav-bhaji, cholabhatura also along with the items as reported by semi-urban subjects.