Recipe for diabetes disaster: a study of dietary behaviors among adolescent students in south Delhi, India

Objective: To study unhealthy dietary behaviors amongst adolescent students in South Delhi and the epidemiological correlates. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Three schools and two colleges in South Delhi. Subjects: Adolescent students aged 14–19 year selected by multi-stage cluster sampling. Statistical Analysis: Proportions, Chi square test, Multivariate logistic regression. Results: Almost half of the respondents reported not having fruits, green vegetables or other vegetables daily. About 177 (32.2%) students were having ‘junk food’ and 28.2% were consuming carbonated soft drinks daily. More boys than girls reported unhealthy dietary practices. One in every two students (49.6%) had missed their breakfast once or more in the past 30 days. On logistic regression analysis, father’s education and type of residence were found to be the two chief correlates of unhealthy dietary behaviors. Adolescents with father’s education level lesser than graduation were more likely to be at risk for unhealthy dietary practices (Odds Ratio 4.5, 95% CI: 1.6–12.7). Those residing in private colonies or bungalows were more likely to be having unhealthy dietary practices, than those from government colonies (OR 2.9, 95% CI: 1.3–6.5). Conclusion: The dietary behavior of an overwhelming majority of the students was found to be unhealthy. The study points to an urgent need for measures amongst the adolescents to prevent a catastrophic burden of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes in the coming generations.