Demographic Characteristics and Fast Food Consumption Among High School Students in Isfahan, Iran

Fast food consumption has greatly increased among adolescents in recent years. Fast food consumption is linked with weight gain, poorer dietary indexes and insulin resistance. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between demographic characteristics and fast food consumption. This descriptive-analytic study examined a sample of 521 high school students (244 male, 277 female) aged 15-18 years old in the 3 region of Isfahan city. They were selected by multistage sampling method. Items assessed were frequency of fast food consumption, demographic characteristics, hours of television viewing, knowledge, and attitude of high school students. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS14. The mean age of students was 16.28±0.89 years old. Frequent intake fast food (≥1 time/week) was reported by 15.5% of female and 15.3% of male. There were significant relationships between fast food consumption and parents’ high level of education and higher income of the family (P < 0.01). Fifty-five percent of the high school students were aware of the disadvantage of intake fast food. The predominate reasons for fast food consumption were “enjoy tastes”, “eat at any place”, “inexpensive and economic”. The findings show that fast food consumption increased in families with higher income and level education, but these families need to be educated on the harmful effects of fast food and how to choose healthy foods. So interventions that reduce exposure to fast food and/or promote knowledge, attitude and behavior change may be helpful.