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Home--News
Burgers and Pizzas Take Their Toll
The Hindu
November 11, 2007
NEW DELHI: At a time when one in every five children studying in Delhi's
schools is overweight or obese and thereby has 70 per cent chance
of becoming an overweight or obese adult and thus more prone to diabetes,
a new study by the Delhi Diabetes Research Centre on "changing food
patterns in children" has revealed that junk food culture is rapidly
on the rise among the children despite severe health risks.
According to DDRC Chairman Ashok Jhingan, the study was undertaken
in eight private schools of Delhi and 1,155 children studying in Class
III, IV and V were asked six questions about their eating habits.
The questions were deliberately designed to properly assess the food
habits, choice of food and factors contributing for this change in
eating patterns.
The study threw up some startling facts. It revealed that 39 per cent
of the children preferred eating burgers and soft drinks over traditional
food.
Further, 31 per cent preferred to have a pizza along with a soft drink.
Only an abysmal 11 per cent preferred eating fruits.
It was also revealed that the daily eating habits of the children
were changing rapidly.
As many as 44 per cent of the children surveyed said they had at least
one soft drink a day. Also it was revealed that along with age the
preference for fast food increased. So while 11 per cent of the Class
III children had a preference for fast food, as many as 39 per cent
of Class IV wanted it and a whopping 66 per cent of Class V children
preferred having junk food over the traditional nutritious one.
Health risk
The study also revealed that family members, media and environment
played a key role in whetting this preference for fast food.
In view of the health risk fast foods pose, DDRC has stated that "intervention
should be initiated from Class III onward and family, school authorities
and media should create such an environment so that the children get
inclined towards healthy food habits".
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