Evaluation of Nutritional Awareness and Dietary Practices Among Teenage Female Students

Abstract: Identification of teen dietary practices is the first step towards promotion of healthy eating habits. Teen's health and well being is directly related to healthy and nutritious eating. Adequate nutrition is not only vital for protecting physical health but overall emotional and social health as well. Objective: To evaluate the nutritional awareness and dietary practices among teenage female students from different schools of Lahore. Methods: A cross sectional study was done through pretested questionnaire on the basis of 24 hours recall method. Data was collected from 150 teenagers female students aged between 15 to 17 years, from 5 different private schools. Tabulation was done through simple frequency and analysis method. Results: The results revealed that most of the respondents were well aware about dietary habits and were considering meat as good source of proteins, carbohydrates as well as cereals and breads. Fats and oils are rich in calories. The results depicted that school was the major source of knowledge from where they got basic information. Majority of population liked to eat junk food on regular basis. Conclusions: It was concluded that students were sufficiently aware about dietary choices and preferences. Keywords: Teenage female student, nutritional awareness, dietary practices.