Fast food consumption and obesity among urban college going adolescents in Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Fast food consumption is an emerging trend among adolescents worldwide. College going adolescents are unduly prone to consume fast food which increases the risk of obesity in their future life. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of fast food consumption and to assess the association of fast food consumption with obesity among college going adolescents in Dhaka, Bangladesh. A total of 518 adolescent students were selected using a multi-stage sampling technique from five established colleges in Dhaka city from February 18, 2019, to June 30, 2019. A semi-structured questionnaire was used as a data collection tool. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS, version 22. The results of this study revealed that 68.1% of students consumed fast foods at least once in the previous week. Taste or pleasure and convenience were the main drivers that triggered students to consume fast foods. About 64% of the participants consumed fast foods frequently (i.e.,> 3 days/week) followed by about 36% were infrequent consumers (i.e., 1–3 days/week). There was a significant difference between students who consumed and did not consume fast food in the previous week regarding the gender, education version, study group and socio-economic class (p < 0.05). The study found a significant association of fast food consumption with the higher prevalence of obesity (29.9% in fast food consumers vs 9.1% in non-consumers, p < 0.05). In addition, male fast food consumers (OR = 2.274, 95% CI = 1.484–3.485, p < 0.05) as well as individuals who consumed fast foods frequently (OR = 2.712, 95% CI = 1.592–4.622, p < 0.05) had greater likelihood to be obese. Fast food consumption among college going adolescents was considered to be an alarming situation as well as a significant public health threat. Specific health education programs, dietary guidelines and effective public awareness campaigns could be best initiated to tackle this problem.