High school students' attitudes and knowledge of food consumption and body image: implications for school based education

Abstract

One-hundred-and-forty-one high school students from Holon between the ages of 14 and 18 years participated in the study. The aims of the study were to investigate their nutritional habits, ascertain their body image, measure their knowledge concerning nutrition and finally to determine their attitudes regarding overweight, obese people and dieting. The study is a cross-sectional survey and the students involved completed a self administered questionnaire anonymously at school. The response rate was 97%. Forty-four percent of the total study population expressed a subjective feeling of being obese while, in truth, only 10% of them were actually overweight, and 48% among all participants practised weight reduction diets (girls three times more than boys). In addition to that another 53% of the pupils expressed the desire to be thinner than they were (girls four times more than boys). Nine percent of the study group experienced self-induced anorectic episodes at sometime during the past few years. It was observed that the study group's knowledge concerning food composition and nutrition remains insufficient. As far as their attitude concerning obesity, it was observed that 31% of the students regarded obesity as a handicap. Students who were athletics demonstrated more severe and stricter attitudes towards nutrition and obesity. Most of the information concerning nutrition was obtained through the media. School education about food and nutrition only amounted to 28.3% of the total. Seventy-nine percent of the students believe that nutrition should be integrated into their curriculum. Forty-four percent of the students feel themselves to be overweight, and 53.4% want to be thinner. Half of the students were on various diets. The students' knowledge of food and nutrition, the risk of obesity and the danger of excessive diets was insufficient. Most students presented negative attitudes towards obesity and overweight people. The media was the principal source of information on all these areas. Our main conclusion is that an educational nutrition program should be given to pupils in school by physicians and dietitians during all the years of public school attendance. The instructions of these programs should emphasize the importance of balanced nutritional regimes, as well as the risk and consequences of extreme dieting.