The eating habits and eating disorders of adolescents in high schools

Abstract

Admission. Incorrect eating habits among young people have negative health effects, the consequences of which can be dangerous.

Aim. The goal of this study is to assess the eating habits, knowledge and awareness of healthy eating among the examined adolescents through the prism of the risk of eating disorders.

Material and methods. The eating habits of adolescents through the prism of eating disorders were studied using the method of diagnostic survey and estimation with the use of the author's own questionnaire. The research procedure was also prepared on the basis of the original version of the EAT-26 and ORTO-15 questionnaires. The study was conducted among 70 people aged 15 to 19.

Results. Using the above-mentioned research tools, it was shown that bad eating habits in the studied group had a negative effect on the respondents. There are eating disorders, including obesity and overweight. However, the majority of the examined adolescents eat healthy, they show no problems in the physical, mental and social spheres. They have the correct body weight appropriate to their age.

Conclusions. Incorrect eating habits of adolescents is an increasingly common problem nowadays, which is faced by a large number of society. Excessive consumption of meals, lack of regularity, avoiding the first breakfast, eating fast-food or high-sugar meals, provoking vomiting becomes the main cause of abnormal body weight. This leads to a number of negative consequences, namely the physical and mental health of young people deteriorates, and there is also an eating disorder. Most of the adolescents who were tested showed knowledge of healthy eating and showed no abnormal eating disorders. However, among the respondents there were young people who need to introduce health education so that they can begin to eliminate bad eating habits.