Knowledge Regarding Junk Food and it’s Health Effect among Adolescents in Government Schools of Hetauda

Abstract

Background: Junk food and its effect has become major public health concern. There is a rapid increment in the intake of junk food in Nepal as a result the effect of junk food has shown many negative consequences on Nepalese people mostly adolescents due to which they are prone to have many non-communicable diseases and mental illnesses. This study aimed to assess the knowledge regarding the effect of junk food on health among adolescents.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 230 adolescents studying in government schools. Adolescents were selected by probability proportionate stratified random sampling technique. A Structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from Dec 23, 2022, to Jan 5, 2023. Data were entered into SPSS 16 version and were analyzed by using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Findings: The findings of the study revealed that 3.9% had adequate knowledge regarding the health effect of junk food on health. There was significant association ofthe level of knowledge on junk food consumption with residence (p-value is 0.01), religion (p-value is 0.01), ethnicity (p-value is 0.01), and type of family (p-value is 0.01).

Conclusion: The study concluded that adolescents have inadequate knowledge regarding the health effects of junk food. Their knowledge tends to vary according to residence, religion, ethnicity and family types. Therefore, there is a need to plan and implement interventions to enhance knowledge of the health effects of junk food among adolescents.