Abstract:
Adolescence is a period of rapid growth and
development. Dietary habits of adolescents are in
limelight as they are in the period between childhood
and adult. Healthy eating habits during adolescent
period promote healthy ageing. Overcrowding and
limited infrastructure facilities at urban underserved
settlements of the Jaffna Municipality of Sri Lanka are
crucial for the health of the residents. The study aimed
at finding food consumption patterns and factors that
influencing the limited nutritional food intake by late
adolescents from three selected Grama Niladhari
divisions (Reclamation East, Reclamation West and
Moor Street North) of Jaffna Municipality. Data
collection was made by visiting households,
interviewing the participants, administrating a
questionnaire added with food frequency table, 24 hour
dietary recall and collecting a week’s food diary from
the participants, observing cooking facility at
households and availability of food items nearby
environment of study areas. The findings highlighted
that underconsumption of fruit, vegetables and dairy
products and overconsumption of nutritionally poor
foods and carbonated beverages among the sample of
adolescents residing in crowded divisions of Jaffna
Municipality. Higher prices of food commodities,
limited infrastructure facilities and knowledge on
nutritional food intake were identified as barriers for
limited nutritional food intake. Such nutritional
unhealthy dietary habits may lead to nutritional
problems among adolescents and they have to be
moved towards a healthy way of life in order to build
up a healthy and disease-free society in the future. The
findings of the study could be a revelation for the
relevant authorities to support a correct national
intervention programme.
