The Relationship between the Underlying Factors and Fast Food Consumption among Second-Year High-School Students in Isfahan City, Iran

Fast food consumption has increased among teens over the past decades. Considering that many habits, including inappropriate food habits, are formed in adolescence, and in the coming years, life becomes the backbone of many chronic diseases, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between some of the underlying factors and fast food consumption among high-school students in Isfahan City, Iran.
This was a descriptive-analytic research on 400 16-year-old students from Isfahan City, in the educational year of 2015-2016. Proportional to size, samples were selected from six areas in Isfahan City, according to their gender. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire, which included two sections of demographic and nutritional information. Data analysis was performed using independent t and spearman correlation tests via SPSS software.
Findings: The participants were 400 students of the second year of high school (eleventh), 200 girls (50%) and 200 boys (50%). The mean score of fast food consumption was not significantly different among girl (0.57 ± 9.35) and boy (0.71 ± 11.16) students (P = 0.080). Spearman test showed that there was a significant and direct relationship between fast food consumption and parent's education and family income (P Interventions for adopting healthy nutrition and reducing the consumption of fast food should be done according to socioeconomic status of the students, and the education level of their parents; so, they can play a significant role in healthy lifestyle during their lives.