Dietary habits of urban vulnerable late adolescents in three selected grama niladhari divisions of Jaffna municipality

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.