Adolescents’ attitudes, preferences and perceived behaviours regarding healthy eating and whole grains from a gender and health interest perspective
Journal article, 2023

Background: A healthy diet is important not only for the growth and development of the human body but also for the prevention of chronic diseases. However, most Swedish adolescents do not follow dietary recommen-dations, especially the intake of whole grain is very low. To create targeted conditions for healthy food choices amongst adolescents, comprehensive knowledge of factors related to adolescents’ unhealthy and healthy eating is needed. Objective: To investigate adolescents’ attitudes, preferences and perceived behaviours regarding healthy eating, with a specific focus on whole grains and to evaluate differences between genders and between adolescents with higher versus lower health interest. Design: A total of 1,178 Swedish adolescents responded to a questionnaire about their attitudes, preferences and perceived behabviours towards healthy eating and whole grains, and their general interest in nutrition and health. Results of girls and boys were compared, as well as adolescents with a higher versus lower health interest. Results: Displays information about healthy eating among adolescents and a comprehensive set of factors that may affect their ability to eat healthier. Overall, adolescents had a positive attitude towards food and health, but less than half felt that they managed to eat healthy. The consumption of different whole grain products was low, although the willingness to eat healthier and more whole grain was high. The most reported barrier to healthy eating, as well as increasing whole grain intake, was the unavailability of tasty healthy products, taste being even more important for adolescents with a low health interest than those with a high interest. Whole grain consumption and factors increasing the willingness of whole grain consumption were most prominent not only in adolescents with high health interest but also in girls compared with boys. Conclusion: The results show good potential to improve dietary habits amongst adolescents. Taste and avail-ability of healthy products were rated the most important, whilst knowledge about the products’ healthiness was rated the least important, especially amongst those with low health interest. By focusing on the attitudes and preferences of adolescents, the effectiveness may increase of initiatives to improve their dietary habits.

youth

gender

healthy diet

eating habits

interest in health

whole grain

Author

Anna Calvén

Kristianstad University

Karin Jonsson

Chalmers, Life Sciences, Food and Nutrition Science

K. Wendin

Kristianstad University

University of Copenhagen

Christel Larsson

University of Gothenburg

Food and Nutrition Research

1654-6628 (ISSN) 1654-661X (eISSN)

Vol. 67 8988

Subject Categories

Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology

Nutrition and Dietetics

DOI

10.29219/fnr.v67.8988

More information

Latest update

5/25/2023