Predictors of Fast Food Consumption among High School Students based on the Theory of Planned Behavior

Fast food consumption has increased greatly among adolescents in recent years. About 30% of children and adolescents in the United States consume fast food on a typical day. Fast food consumption is linked with weight gain, poorer dietary indicators, and insulin resistance. The purpose of this study was to assess predictors of fast food consumption among high school students in Isfahan based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). This descriptive-analytic study comprised a sample of 521 high school students, aged 15-18 years, selected by multistage sampling. Descriptive statistics were used to examine demographic characteristics and study variables. TPB-based variables were assessed through a questionnaire evaluating attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC), intention to consume fast food, past behavior and actual behavior control as independent variables. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS14. The mean age of students was 16.28 ± 0.89 years. There were significant relationships between behavior (fast food consumption) and high level of education and higher income of the family (P < 0.01). The combination of attitude, subjective norms, and PBC accounted for 25.7% and 6% of the variance of behavioral intention and behavior, respectively. Moreover, attitude was the most significant predictor of intention (β = 0.331). Our findings were consistent with other research showing that TPB offers a good prediction of fast food consumption intentions but falls short in predicting behavior.