The Snacking Habits in Junior High School Students: The Nutritional Implication-a Short Report

Adolescents snack frequently but their choice of snacking foods may be poor. This puts them at risk of overweight. Watching TV for longer hours causes a decline in their physical activities hence liable to increase in body weight. The aim of the study was to examine the snacking and TV viewing behaviours of Junior High School students and their association with body weight. A cross-sectional study was carried out among a convenient sample of 121 adolescents (54 females and 67 males) aged between 11 and 15 years. Logistic regressions were performed to examine the association between the frequency and type of snack consumed and television viewing with overweight. The most common period of snacking was between breakfast and lunch. Snacking during watching TV was a common practice among the students. Snacking on foods high in sugar and fats were strongly associated with the likelihood of being overweight. Snacking while viewing TV and television viewing for 4-5 h a day was associated with increase in BMI. Both males and females preferred normal body image. The intake of snacks high in sugar and fat promoted an increase in BMI. Longer hours of watching television and snacking were associated with increased likelihood of being overweight.