DIETARY PATTERNS AND CHANGES IN INNER-CITY ADOLESCENTS

The aim of this study was to assess the dietary patterns of a sample o f 479 young people aged 13-14 years living in an inner city location i n London. The results revealed that although a good level of basic nut ritional knowledge was displayed by most of the sample, their attitude s towards food and health were mixed and their involvement in domestic food chores was very limited. Sixty per cent reported consuming three or more snacks on the previous day, and over 33% regularly ate fast f oods or take-aways at school lunch times. Analysis of food frequency d ata revealed that males were more likely to consume a less healthy die t than females, as were individuals from manual households compared to those living in non-manual households. A high proportion of the sampl e reported changing elements of their diets, with 36.4% claiming to ha ve reduced their fat intakes and 33.5% reducing their sugar intakes wi thin the previous 6 months. The main reason for changing their fat or sugar intakes was a desire to improve appearance, with direct health c onsiderations being less important. A range of social and structural f actors were identified as having an influence on young people's abilit y to make future changes. The implications of these findings for healt h promotion interventions are discussed.