Effect of Junk Food on Obesity Status of School Children: Exploring the Impact of Junk Food on the Obesity Status of School Children

Abstract

A healthy diet is very essential to get sufficient nutrients and also to maintain good and disease free health style. Nutrients include protein, carbohydrates, fats, water, vitamins and minerals which helps with our day to day activities by providing essential energy. Change in lifestyle and eating habits among children affected the nutritional status and also created many health problems including obesity. Junk food became popular among children due to its attractive appearance, taste, convenience, low cost, availability and easy to consume. Several studies proved that junk food causes health problems like obesity, heart disease, hypertension and even cancer. Keeping this in mind the present study was designed to find the obesity status of junk food habitual and non-habitual students. The study was carried out on 40 boys of residential school children between the age group of 11 to 14 of Gwalior city who have equal duration of physical activity of two hour a day. The result reveals that the boys who are habitual of junk food comes under obesity and overweight category while non-habitual comes under normal or underweight category.