Frequency and occasion of fast food and processed food consumption among students of a high school in Tam Ky city, Quang Nam province, 2023

Abstract

Nowadays, fast food and processed food that Vietnamese youth prefer to choose when meeting friends or to replace main meals because of their variety and convenience. This article aims to describe the frequency and occasion of fast food and processed food consumption among students of a high school in Tam Ky City, Quang Nam province, 2023. A cross - sectional study was conducted among 251 students of grades 10 to 12 in a selected high school from March 2023 to June 2023. The results showed that the three highest frequency of fast food and processed food consumption are instant noodles, fried fish balls, and sausages (52.6%: 32.7% and 23.1%, respectively, p < 0.05). The three of fast food and processed food that many students have not consumed in the past month such as fried dumplings 57.8%, pizza 49.8%, hamburger 48.2%. The occasion to consume this food are friend’s meeting, family doesn’t cook and birthday parties. The main reason for choosing fast food and processed food were because of delicious, attractive flavor and convenient. The nutrition education should provide to students to know how to choose healthy foods.