Fast Food and its Effects among the Teenagers in the Municipal of Cachoeiro De Itapemirim-Espirito Santo, Brazil

Abstract

Fast food is a major part of present life, due to some factors such as the style of life, value and the huge commercial advertisements, it has several effects on teenage health. The basic purpose of this study was to identify the effects of fast food on the health of teenagers of the municipal of Cachoeiro de Itapemirim. The study was based on two theories namely, The Theory of Planned Behaviour proposed by Icek Ajzen in 1991and the Bandura 1969 Social Cognitive Theory. The study was purely quantitative. In this study, a correlational design and simple random sampling were employed. There were 48 responders in the sample size. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. The questionnaire was pretested and validated before the final data collection. Extensive literature review was done, and a tool was developed reviewing similar literature, which reports the effects of fast food consumption. Statistical Packages for Social Sciences version 26 (SPSS version 26) were used for quantitative data analysis. The main effects of fast food on the health of teenagers are, obesity, depression, diabetes, heart disease, physical performance and reproductive health. Majority (85.42%) of the respondents have information about fast food, (12.50%) did not have any information about fast food and (2.08%) never responded. The chi-square result on the relationship between fast food and effects was very significant, χ2 ([56], N = [48]) = [49.53], p = [.717]. Fast food was more likely to affect the teenagers. With the p =.717 > .05 the null hypothesis is not rejected. A P-Value >0.05 is not statistically significant. Use of fast food was found to be increasing among teenagers. Consumption of fast food at high level is increasing physical and mental health problems. This study emphasizes strong need to adopt healthy eating behaviours that are associated with lower mental distress, high body esteem and higher psychological well-being.