Poor Eating Research Articles

Relationship between work-family conflict and unhealthy eating: Does eating style matter?

There is increasing evidence to suggest that work–family conflict is implicated in poor eating patterns. Yet, the underlying mechanism remains unexplored. The objectives of the present study were to demonstrate the interplay between work–family conflict, eating style, and unhealthy eating, and to test whether body mass index (BMI) and its interactions further explicate the relationships. In this study, 586 Malaysian adults (normal weight n = 437, overweight n = 149) completed a questionnaire, which included demographic variables, work–family scales, eating style measures, namely, restrained, emotional or external eating and reported food intake. As hypothesized, results showed that family-to-work conflict (FWC), emotional eating and external eating were positively related to unhealthy food consumption. In addition, emotional eating was found to moderate the impact of FCW on eating. These findings are consistent with research that has revealed emotional eating can indeed increase the positive association between stress such as conflict and unhealthy food choices. However, we found no clear support for the interactive effects of BMI. Our research builds on the findings of existing research as it demonstrates the role of eating style in explaining the association between work–family conflict and unhealthy eating. This conclusion has potential implications for appropriate interventions and calls for the enhancement of various policies to tackle obesity and other health problems.

Relationship between dietary habits and nutritional status among adolescents in Abuja municipal area council of Nigeria

Background : Dietary intake assessment is essential to understanding the nutritional status. Healthy eating pattern promotes optimal health, growth and intellectual development and prevents diseases, while poor dietary eating choices may cause malnutrition. Aims : To determine the dietary eating patterns and nutritional status among adolescents in secondary schools within Abuja Municipal area council (AMAC). Subjects and Methods : crosssectional among adolescents, 10 – 19years in secondary schools within AMAC, Nigeria. Using a multistage stratified sampling technique, four urban and four rural schools, 1550 students, were enrolled. Subject’s bio data, dietary habits and knowledge of nutrition and general physical examination were obtained. Dietary assessment included intake of main meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner), skipping meals; methods used to control weight in the previous 30days; knowledge and preference of a balanced diet and food choices. Subject’s height and weight and Body Mass Index (BMI) were determined using the 2007 WHO charts. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 17 statistical package and p value less than 0.05 was significant. Results : 1550 students were recruited, males 688 (44.4%) and females 862 (55.6%); mean age 14.43±1.94 years. Of the 780 urban adolescents, 502 (64.4%) were of upper class and 68 (8.7%) lower class; and of the 770 (49.7%) rural, 206 (26.8%) and 232 (30.1%) belong to upper and lower class respectively, p=.000. Stunting 174(11.2%) and overweight 195(12.6%) were the major forms of malnutrition recorded. Food preferences was based mainly on good taste in 546 (35.2%), balanced diet 530 (34.2%); and 539 (34.8%) had good nutritional knowledge of a balanced diet. Five hundred and forty six (35.2%) admitted to taking carbonated drinks within the previous 7days and 147 (9.5%) missed breakfast, lunch and supper as single meal. Breakfast only was skipped by 71(4.6%) while 160 (10.3%) took lunch outside the home. The methods used to control weight were eating less food or fats, fasting, use of diet pills, inducing vomiting/use of laxatives. Skipping meals and taking meals outside the home was significant for the sex, (p value <0.05), school setting (p value .000) and the infrequent intake of fruits/ vegetables (p value .025). Those that skipped meals showed significant stunting (p value .009), while those who took fruits and vegetables infrequently had significant wasting (p value .049). Conclusion : poor dietary habits were identified among the adolescent. Malnutrition especially stunting and wasting was identified among those that skipped meals and took little fruits and vegetables. Key words : dietary habits, adolescent, urban, rural, prevalence, nutritional status, carbonated drinks.

Perilaku Mengosok Gigi Kebiasaan Makan dan Minum Tinggi Sukrosa dengan Kejadian Karies Gigi pada Siswa Di MIN Jejeran

Background: One of the biggest dental health problems experienced by school children is dental caries. Dental caries occurs due to poor tooth brushing behavior and bad eating and drinking habits of bad sucrose.&#x0D; Objective: To know the relationship between the behavior of brushing teeth, eating habits and drinking high sucrose with the incidence of dental caries.&#x0D; Method: The type of this study included observational research with cross sectional study design. The study was conducted at MIN Jejeran 2 in February to May 2017. The research subjects were grade I to V students who were presented in and were willing to be respondents totaling 274 students. The research variables are the behavior of brushing teeth, eating habits and drinking high sucrose, and dental caries.&#x0D; Result: The study showed that dental caries in male pupils 96 students (35%), higher than female 84 students (30.7%). The majority of 266 students (97.1%) had brushing behavior with good behavioral categories. High sucrose foods that are often consumed by students are; Crackers, sweets, biscuits, and sweetbreads. High sucrose drinks that are often consumed by students are tea and homemade milk. Data analysis used Chi-Square and OR (Ood Ratio) test.&#x0D; Conclusion: There was no significant correlation between toothbrushing behavior with dental caries occurrence (p&gt; 0,05). There was a significant relationship between the behavior of brushing teeth with the habit of eating and drinking high sucrose (p &lt;0.05).&#x0D; &#x0D;

Television Viewing Pattern among Adolescents of Udupi District

Introduction: Television is an audio visual media and technology which serves multiple purpose of disseminating information, education and entertainment. Viewing television can cause both positive and negative effects which influences their attitude and behavior. This study investigates the pattern of usage of television and its influence on attitude and behaviour among the adolescents. Materials and Method: The study included 400 adolescents in the age group of 13 to16 years studying in selected CBSE and ICSE schools of Udupi district, Karnataka. This cross sectional survey used structured questionnaire to collect data from school children. Data analysis was done using SPSS v16.0. Results: All the 400 adolescents were viewing television and most had positive attitude towards it. With regard to television usage, majority 257 (64.2%) had moderate usage, 107 (26.8%) had low usage and 36 (9%) had severe usage. Majority had poor eating, sleeping behaviors while viewing television Conclusion: The study concluded that most of the adolescents view television and it has an influence on their attitude and behaviour. Awareness on the negative effects and health problems associated with the sedentary viewing of television need to be addressed.

Cross-Sectional study on Effect of Civil Society Organizations Interventions on individuals infected with HIV in Busia County Kenya.

Since the discovery of HIV in the early 1980s in Kenya, Civil Society Organizations have played a major role in its fight. The aim was to study effect of intervention on improved health, nutrition and income generation activities on individuals infected by HIV. A cross-sectional study was undertaken as a baseline with aquasi experimental study design to compare intervention and non intervention sites. Two hundred and seventeen (217) respondents out of which 69.1% were females and 30.9% males selected from four sub counties of Busia County. A structured questionnaire was administered to people infected with HIV in CSO intervention and non intervention sites. In depth interviews and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were performed using a guide. Structured forms guided the performance on clinical examination and anthropometry procedures. The Statistical Package for Social Scientist software was used to analyze quantitative data. Frequency distributions were calculated and visualized and Chi square test with odds ratios computed. NVIVO statistics software was used to analyze qualitative data. Audio and video recordings were transcribed verbatim, line by line coding used to manage discrete units of text, and data segments reviewed to illustrate people’s perspectives. A majority of respondents had primary level education (46.3%) and was self-employed (72.1%). HIV/AIDS awareness was high in both the non-intervention (84%) and intervention (79.8%) site, with access to information playing a major role in people’s understanding of HIV/AIDS (p<0.01). Majority of respondents (95.2%) in intervention and non-intervention (96.2%) sites had easy access to ARVs, with 48.1% sourcing drugs privately. Approximately 44.1% sourced ARVs therapy from government facilities with 30.3% from CSOs. Distance to health facilities was the main challenge for those accessing ARV drugs in intervention (22.0%) and non-intervention (39.7%) sites, (OR=2.3 (95%CI=1.2-4.5), p=0.01) was greater in the non-intervention sites. Lack of cash for transport (25% versus 27%) and weakness in the body (11% versus 16.4%) were other challenges as recorded. Most respondents (93.9%) had good ARV uptake, with 74% having reported no major health problems in the recent three months. Only 7% of respondents examined clinically had abnormal blood pressure. Mean body temperature was 36.43 degrees Celsius (std. dev. =0.734). Regarding weights classification, 13.7% of the respondents were underweight, 58.9% normal, 7.3% overweight, and 5% were obese and weights differed by gender (p<0.01) significantly. A large proportion (89.1% in intervention and 94.3% in non-intervention sites) of respondents was aware of good eating habits although they practiced poor eating patterns. In the morning, the trend was (71.9% and 62.4% in the intervention and non-intervention sites) respondents eat nothing. ‘Ugali’ (posho) and traditional vegetables was the most common type of food eaten during lunch (31.0% in intervention and 34.1% in the non-intervention site) and dinner (33.6% intervention and 25.1% in non-intervention sites). Fruits are hardly consumed by majority (42.1% and 45.3%). Provision of ARV (intervention (81.3%) and non-intervention sites (84.3%), (X 2 (df) =0.32(1), p=0.57) was the most common mode of support received. In focus groups discussion sessions, respondents mentioned of no direct financial benefits received from CSOs although many say they recognize what the government has done for them. In their discussion, it was revealed that CSOs initiate short term projects which do not last and when they wind up get compromise when projects end. This survey demonstrates the essential role played by implementing partners (CSOs) on improved health, nutrition and socio economic status. Influence on better access to medication, balanced diet, and economic change probably contributes to living a better and healthier life for those infected with HIV. Afr J Health Sci . 2017; 30(2):57-76

Emotion dysregulation and loss-of-control eating in children and adolescents.

To examine the associations among self-reported loss-of-control (LOC) eating, emotion dysregulation, body mass, and objective energy intake among youth. Emotion dysregulation may be 1 individual factor that promotes excess energy intake and increases in body mass among youth with LOC eating. Children and adolescents (N = 230; 8 to 17 years) enrolled in a nonintervention study completed a structured interview to determine the presence or absence of self-reported LOC eating. Children's emotion dysregulation was assessed via parent-report with the Child Behavior Checklist. Youth also completed 2 test meals to capture "binge" and "normal" eating. Body composition was examined using air displacement plethysmography. After controlling for relevant covariates, youth with self-reported LOC eating had higher parent-reported emotion dysregulation than those without LOC. Parent-reported emotion dysregulation was also associated with greater observed energy intake (after accounting for body mass), as well as higher fat mass. Emotion dysregulation also moderated associations between LOC status/gender and body mass variables; among youth with self-reported LOC eating and girls, those with high parent-described emotion dysregulation (vs. low) had significantly higher fat mass and BMIz. Data from the current study suggest that emotion dysregulation may play a role in energy intake and obesity, particularly among youth with self-reported LOC eating and girls. Additional studies are needed to identify the prospective mechanisms linking poor emotion regulation and LOC eating. These mechanisms, in turn, may inform future interventions targeting excess energy intake and obesity in pediatric samples. (PsycINFO Database Record

Physical and social factors associated with early adolescent headache and stomachache pain.

Approximately one third of adolescents in the United States report experiencing frequent headaches and stomachaches. We examined the association of psychosocial and physical factors with the report of weekly headaches or stomachaches using a representative sample of US teens. Data for this project are from the survey of Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC), 2005-2006, a nationally representative sample of students in grades 6-10 in the United States. The total sample includes 12,070 students aged 11-17. Using logistic regression we modeled chronic headache and stomachache separately with the same set of physical predictors (dieting and substance use habits) and psychosocial predictors (attitudes towards self-image, peers, and family) along with demographic controls. Almost 20% of respondents experienced headaches weekly, and 12% experienced abdominal pain. Both physical and psychosocial factors were predictive of chronic symptoms. Increased substance usage and unhealthy eating practices were associated with the likelihood of experiencing both headaches and stomachaches. Negative self-image, family relationships, and school life were also predictive of symptom frequency. Headaches and stomachaches are associated with poor eating and substance use habits, as well as problems with self-image or social relationships among adolescents. For health care professionals, a holistic approach is needed to effectively address symptoms and prevent long-term health problems.

Early Predictors of Childhood Restrictive Eating

Childhood eating problems, in particular restrictive eating, are common. Knowledge and understanding of risk mechanisms is still scarce. We aimed to investigate prospective early risk factors for restrictive eating across child, maternal, obstetric, and sociodemographic domains in a population-based sample of Danish 5 to 7 year olds. Data on restrictive eating patterns (picky eating, slow/poor eating, and emotional undereating) collected on 1327 children from the Copenhagen Child Cohort 2000 were linked with registered and routinely collected health nurse data (during the first year of life). Prospective risk factors were investigated in univariable and multivariable regression models. Feeding problems in infancy were prospectively associated with childhood picky eating (odds ratio [OR] = 2.02, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.20-3.40) and emotional undereating (OR = 1.49, 95% CI, 1.05-2.11). A high thriving index in infancy was inversely associated with both picky and slow/poor eating. Having 2 non-Danish-born parents predicted slow/poor eating (OR = 5.29, 95% CI, 1.16-24.09) in multivariable analyses, as did maternal diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder before child age 5 years in univariable analyses (OR = 6.08, 95% CI, 1.70-21.72). Feeding problems and poor growth in the first year of life show high continuity into childhood restrictive eating. Maternal psychopathology is an important and modifiable risk factor. These findings confirm that early signs of poor eating and growth are persistent and might be useful in predicting eating problems in mid-childhood.

Historical Materialism and Alternative Food: Alienation, Division of Labour, and the Production of Consumption

&lt;p&gt;This article takes food issues in both the advanced capitalist and developing worlds, as well as discourses and struggles that have developed in response to them, as a point of departure. The exposition begins with a description of food sovereignty movements and their successful struggles. Third-world campaigns for food security are inspiring cases of resistance, of struggle for disalienation.&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;The focus then shifts to the problems with the contemporary North American diet, and the ‘foodie’ response to the epidemic of poor eating and resulting poor health.Foodie culture as it has developed in the advanced capitalist world has severe limitations, particularly in regards to its treatment of gender and class. Yet it also contains important messages about meaningful human interaction with nature in the form of food procurement and preparation. The analysis developed here strives to go further than a critique of the distribution and availability of foodstuffs in the contemporary capitalist economy. The aim is to understand contestations over both the production and consumption of food in terms of some key categories of Marxist philosophy. It is argued that using the concepts of alienation, division of labour, and &lt;em&gt;production of consumption&lt;/em&gt; can strengthen the case for food sovereignty while also mounting a critique of foodie culture that nonetheless preserves its constructive insights. More specifically, this means that an exploration of the relationship between the division of labour and alienation can demonstrate the negative consequences of industrially produced foods, while affirming the necessity of alternative forms of food production and consumption. Everywhere and in different ways, capitalism alienates humans from their &lt;em&gt;species-being&lt;/em&gt;. This paper argues that this fact is particularly evident with regards to the industrial food system. However, just as food can be a site of oppression, so too can it be a locus of struggle against capital.&lt;/p&gt;

An Electronic Wellness Program to Improve Diet and Exercise in College Students: A Pilot Study.

BackgroundIn transitioning from adolescence to adulthood, college students are faced with significant challenges to their health habits. Independence, stress, and perceived lack of time by college students have been known to result in poor eating and exercise habits, which can lead to increased disease risk.ObjectiveTo assess the feasibility and to determine preliminary efficacy of an electronic wellness program in improving diet and physical activity in college students.MethodsA 24-week diet and physical activity program was delivered via email to 148 college students. The intervention involved weekly, tailored, and interactive diet and physical activity goals. The control group received nondiet and nonexercise-related health fact sheets. Anthropometric and blood pressure measurements, as well as food frequency and physical activity surveys were conducted at baseline, week 12, and week 24. Students’ choice of fruit as a snack was also monitored at study visits.ResultsStudents were 18-20 years old, 69% female, and from a diverse college campus (46% Caucasian, 23% Asian, 20% African American, 11% other). At week 24, 84% of students reported reading at least half of all emails. Mean change (standard error [SE]) from baseline of saturated fat intake was marginally significant between the treatment groups at week 24, 0.7 (SE 0.42) % kcal for control and -0.3 (SE 0.30) % kcal for intervention (P=0.048). A significant difference in percent of snacks chosen that were fruit (χ2 1, N=221 = 11.7, P<0.001) was detected between the intervention and control group at week 24.ConclusionsUse of an electronic wellness program is feasible in college students and resulted in a decrease in saturated fat intake and an increase in observed fruit intake compared to a control group.

Food Deserts: What is the Problem? What is the Solution?

The theory of food deserts is that poor people eat poor diets in part because fresh, healthy food is not accessible in areas where they tend to live. We review evidence from a number of disciplines on various elements of this theory and find it wanting. Access to a car is, for most, a more important consideration than access to a full service supermarket. Moreover, a number of cases are reviewed where full service supermarkets were opened in food deserts, usually with little effect on shopping or eating habits.

The Social Determinants of Mental Health.

Ninety percent of the determinants of our health derive from our lifetime social and physical environment-not from the provision of health care. The author describes behaviors, such as poor eating, excessive drinking and abuse of drugs, smoking, and physical inactivity, and social factors, such as adverse childhood experiences, poor education, food insecurity, poor housing quality, unemployment, and discrimination, that contribute to ill health and early demise. Better health and mental health can be achieved by understanding and responding to these determinants of health.

Early problematic eating behaviours are associated with lower fruit and vegetable intake and less dietary variety at 4-5 years of age. A prospective analysis of three European birth cohorts.

Problematic eating behaviours during early childhood could be mediators of poor dietary habits. This study aims to prospectively relate early eating behaviours with fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake and a healthy diet variety score of children aged between 4 and 5 years. Eating behaviours were assessed in three European birth cohorts (Generation XXI from Portugal, ALSPAC from the UK and EDEN from France) at 4-6, 12-15, 24 and 48-54 months of age, based on the child's feeding difficulties, mother's perception of child's poor eating (eating small quantities at each meal, not eating enough or needing to be stimulated to eat), food refusal and difficulties in the establishment of daily food routines. Daily servings of F&V (>1 v. ≤1 serving/d, except in Generation XXI: >3 v. ≤3) and the Healthy Plate Variety Score (categorised by the median score of each sample) were calculated using FFQ. Associations were tested by logistic regressions adjusted for maternal age, education, smoking during pregnancy, any breast-feeding and the child's z-score BMI at 4-5 years of age. Children with more feeding difficulties, poor eating, food refusal/neophobia and difficulties in establishing a daily routine at 12-15, 24 and 48-54 months of age had in general lower F&V intake at 4-5 years of age. The association with vegetables was slightly stronger than with fruits. These early feeding problems were also inversely associated with the variety score at 4-5 years of age, particularly when eating behaviours were reported after 12-15 months of age. A better understanding of these early feeding difficulties may help define strategies to increase the dietary quality in children.

Listening to the experts: is there a place for food taxation in the fight against obesity in early childhood?

BackgroundChildhood obesity is a global public health problem as a result of poor eating and activity behaviours. Periodically, taxation has been proposed as a strategy to modify food purchasing behaviour, and once again, there is growing interest in the feasibility of this approach towards obesity prevention. This article examines the outcomes of an expert panel that was convened to obtain consensus on 1) which foods are most problematic in terms of obesity if consumed during early childhood and 2) which foods would be amenable to taxation as a strategy to reduce consumption. A nominal group technique was facilitated with a panel of 12 Australian experts including nutrition professionals, academics and clinicians with an interest in childhood obesity. In addition to routine ranking analysis, transcripts were explored using thematic analysis to reveal the collective beliefs of the experts.ResultsThe panel reached consensus about the types of foods that were problematic in terms of their consumption and contribution to early childhood obesity which included prepared foods consumed outside the home, high protein infant formula products and sugar-sweetened beverages. However of these food and beverage items, the panel only deemed sugar-sweetened beverages and infant formula to be potentially amenable to taxation. They also highlighted the importance of subsidizing fresh fruit and vegetables, whole and unprocessed foods and hence topic complexities resulted in panel discussion being extended beyond the central notion of taxation.ConclusionsThe panel identified several food groups that contributed to early childhood obesity but noted that these foods were not equally amenable to taxation. Results of this research should be considered during decision making and planning regarding population policy and regulation to reduce childhood obesity in the very early years.

Adolescence at Risk: An Overview

Today, 1.2 billion adolescents stand at the crossroads between childhood and the adult world. Around 243 million of them live in India. About one-quarter of India’s population are adolescents.(UNICEF). As they stand at these crossroads, so do societies at large – the crossroads between losing out on the potential of a generation or nurturing them to transform society. Adolescence is considered as a period of transition from childhood to adulthood. It is characterized by rapid physical growth, significant physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual changes. Adolescents – young people between the ages of 10 and 19 years are often thought of as a healthy group. Nevertheless, many adolescents do die prematurely due to accidents, suicide, violence, pregnancy related complications and other illnesses that are either preventable or treatable. Many more suffer chronic ill-health and disability. In addition, many serious diseases in adulthood have their roots in adolescence. For example, tobacco use, sexually transmitted infections including HIV, poor eating and exercise habits, lead to illness or premature death later in life. Like adults, adolescents can experience emotions, thoughts, and behaviors that are distressing, disruptive, and disabling. Because many of these problems are precursors to much more disabling disorders during later life, mental and behavioral problems in childhood and adolescence represent a very high cost to society in both human and financial terms. The problems of adolescents are multi- dimensional in nature and require holistic approach. This paper aims to reveal the various problems of the adolescence in India. It also makes an attempt to locate the significance of measures from a strategic perspective. The present study is based upon secondary sources.

NICE update: NICE public health guidance update.

This article covers recent National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance and standards relevant to public health with a focus on behaviour change. The article summarizes recommendations for local commissioners and providers to help them tackle a range of behaviours including smoking, poor eating patterns, lack of physical activity and alcohol misuse.

A Survey on - Healthy Diet Recommendation System using Web Data Mining

In this busy scheduled life, People usually don't care about their health. It makes the person follow unhealthy food habits in the name of saving time. So it has become very essential for the people to have a good balanced healthy diet. People set a bigger possibility of countering free radicals and warding off illness by consumption of healthy foods and by increasing their resistant system. We know the dictum Health is Wealth. Very often the desperate search for wealth takes its toll on one's health. It brings along with its stress, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, ulcers and diabetes. It deprives a man of the necessary physical exercise. Due to the poor eating habits people suffer from many diseases. In the current scenario fast food become important food in daily routine because it is effortlessly available but taking fast food in routine may cause for disease like heart attack, diabetics etc. Healthier diets help us to maintain our health and keep us away from many diseases. For better recovery from diseases or surgery etc individual have special needs according to their medical profile, cultural backgrounds and nutrient requirements. Design and implementation of healthy diet recommendation system is based on web data mining which is the application of data mining technique help us to determine pattern from web. This paper focuses on accuracy and time performance analysis of recommendation system using two decision tree learning algorithm ID3 and C4.5 and apply it on healthy diet application.

Acquiring Tastes through Online Activity: Neuroplasticity and the Flow Experiences of Web Users

Acquiring Tastes through Online Activity: Neuroplasticity and the Flow Experiences of Web Users

Obesity and Self‐control: Food Consumption, Physical Activity, and Weight‐loss Intention

AbstractWe find that despite a stronger intention to lose weight, overweight and obese individuals in the United States are less likely to meet the federal recommendations for fruit and vegetable consumption, energy and nutrient intakes, and physical activity than are normal‐weight individuals. By utilizing the Rotter score that measures self‐control capability, we find that obese individuals exhibit a lower degree of self‐control than normal‐weight individuals, and that this lack of self‐control is associated with poor eating and exercise behaviors, as well as increased Body Mass Index and obesity risk. We discuss three mechanisms that are regularly employed to overcome self‐control problems: physician advice, improvement in the built environment, and commitment devices. Our results suggest that knowledge‐based anti‐obesity intervention policies are likely to have limited effects.

Socio-economic disparities in Australian adolescents' eating behaviours.

To assess the association between socio-economic position (SEP) and poor eating behaviours in a large representative sample of Australian secondary-school students. Cross-sectional survey of students' vegetable, fruit, sugar-sweetened beverage and fast-food consumption assessed using validated instruments and collected via a web-based self-report format. Secondary schools across all Australian states and territories. Secondary-school students (n 12 188; response rate: 54 %) aged 12-17 years participating in the 2009-10 National Secondary Students' Diet and Activity (NaSSDA) survey. Overall, 25 % of students reported consuming ≤1 serving of vegetables/d and 29 % reported eating ≤1 serving of fruit/d. Fourteen per cent of students reported drinking at least 1-2 cups of sugar-sweetened beverages/d while 9 % reported eating fast food ≥3 times/week. After adjusting for other demographic factors, students of lower-SEP areas were more likely to report low intake of vegetables (F(4, 231) = 3·61, P = 0·007) and high frequency of consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (F(4, 231) = 8·41, P < 0·001) and fast food (F(4, 231) = 4·59, P = 0·001) compared with students of high-SEP neighbourhoods. A positive SEP association was found for fruit consumption among female students only (F(4, 231) = 4·20, P = 0·003). Those from lower-SEP areas were also more likely to engage in multiple poor eating behaviours (F(4, 231)=5·80, P < 0·001). Results suggest that socio-economic disparities in Australian adolescents' eating behaviours do exist, with students residing in lower-SEP neighbourhoods faring less well than those from high-SEP neighbourhoods. Reducing social inequalities in eating behaviours among young people should be a key consideration of future preventive strategies.