Pattern of dietary practices and physical activity among school going adolescents in Haldwani block of Nainital district

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Adolescence is a period when individual starts coming up with their choices and develops personal lifestyle. This lifestyle includes unhealthy diet and physical inactivity which are the major risk factors of various non-communicable diseases of great public health importance like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity etc. Objective: To assess the pattern of dietary practices and physical activity among school going adolescents in Haldwani block of Nainital district. Material and Method: School based cross sectional study was done among 900 adolescents of 8th to 12th standard. Sample collected from 30 clusters/schools using simple random sampling. Results: Out of 900 students, majority were non-vegetarian. Daily intake of fruits and vegetable was observed among 31.9% and 73.3% of adolescents. Practice of eating junk food and meals outside home were seen more in urban adolescents. 55.6% of participants were found to be physically active, sedentary behavior was more common in urban area and adolescents studying in private schools.