Dietary intake is a strong determinate of the health of an individual. Healthy eating is an important prevention to non-communicable diseases. If behaviour is to be changed insight into what the attitudes and barriers are to eating healthily amongst adolescents is imperative. This can provide knowledge for future prevention campaigns for healthy eating to prevent overweight and obesity. The purpose of the study was to quantitatively describe what attitudes adolescent females have towards healthy eating and what potential barriers omits them from adopting healthy eating behaviours. Data collection was done using structured questionnaires. Girls (N=73) from 3 public all girls’ high schools within Durban, KZN, participated in this study. The findings revealed that overall adolescent girls have a positive attitude to healthy eating. A lack of time, the foods sold in the school shop and the conveniences of less healthy food have been identified as barriers to healthy eating. / Health Studies / M.A. (Public Health)

The aim of this exploratory qualitative study is to identify the problems African American adolescent girls face in making eating choices and to learn how they make decisions about eating. Differences related to culture and socioeconomic status influences, and decision-making strategies were explored. Three sites in African American communities were selected for focus groups and individual adolescent girl-parent dyad interviews for data collection. Data were gathered in 5 focus groups and 4 individual adolescent girl-parent dyad interviews with African American adolescents (n=30). Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory (EST) provided the conceptual framework for informing the analysis and interpretation of the data. Using grounded theory methods, the researcher identified the core variable or basic psychosocial problem that faced the participants was receiving mixed messages. Low income African American adolescent girls receive mixed messages about nutrition, health and foods from their microsystems that are comprised of friends and family, and from macrosystems that include textbooks and the media. Filtering the mixed messages is the basic psychosocial process that low income African American girls use to handle the barrage of mixed messages they receive from their microsystems and macrosystems regarding eating choices and exosystem influences. The process of filtering the mixed messages is comprised of five phases: Applying a lens, surveying available resources, weighing influences, then choosing alternating eating strategies and evaluating their eating choices. How the adolescent girl applies a lens, surveys resources and weighs the influences together impact the alternating eating strategies that they implement. Over time they evaluate the effectiveness of their eating choices. / text

Life and Consumer Sciences / M.A. (Consumer Science)

by Wan Cheuk Wing. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves p. 166-183). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Acknowledgements --- p.i / Abstract --- p.ii-iii / Abstract (Chinese Version) --- p.iv / Table of Contents --- p.v-xi / List of Figures --- p.xii / List of Tables --- p.xiii-xxiii / List of Abbreviations --- p.xxiiv / Chapter CHAPTER ONE: --- INTRODUCTION / Chapter 1.1 --- "Socioeconomic, dietary and epidemiological transformation" --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1.1 --- Low breastfeeding rate --- p.3 / Chapter 1.1.2 --- Breakfast skipping --- p.6 / Chapter 1.1.3 --- Popularity of eating out --- p.8 / Chapter 1.1.4 --- Lack of school lunch surveillance or policy --- p.10 / Chapter 1.1.5 --- Frequent unhealthy snack consumption --- p.11 / Chapter 1.1.6 --- Physical inactivity --- p.12 / Chapter 1.2 --- "Childhood and Adolescent obesity determinants, trends and consequences" --- p.13 / Chapter 1.3 --- "Physiological, psychosocial and economic determinants of childhood and adolescent obesity" --- p.16 / Chapter 1.4 --- Adolescence - Critical period of habit development --- p.17 / Chapter 1.4.1 --- "Factors affecting eating and physical activity patterns: peers, television and the school environment" --- p.18 / Chapter 1.5 --- The education system in Hong Kong and United States --- p.20 / Chapter 1.5.1 --- Principles of effective nutrition curriculum development --- p.23 / Chapter 1.6 --- Study Design and Theoretical Approach of study --- p.23 / Chapter CHAPTER TWO: --- METHODOLOGY / Chapter 2.1 --- Target Population Determination --- p.28 / Chapter 2.2 --- Recruitment & Geographical Distribution of Schools --- p.28 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Familiarization with School Background --- p.30 / Chapter 2.3 --- Focus groups --- p.31 / Chapter 2.4 --- "Questionnaire Development, Instrument Design and Pre-testing" --- p.32 / Chapter 2.4.1 --- Questionnaire Development --- p.32 / Chapter 2.4.2 --- Socio-demographic --- p.33 / Chapter 2.4.3 --- Breastfeeding --- p.33 / Chapter 2.4.4 --- "Dietary - Healthy Diet Pyramid, Healthy Breakfast, Healthy Lunch, Healthy Snack, Healthy Eating Out" --- p.33 / Chapter 2.4.5 --- Physical Activity --- p.34 / Chapter 2.4.6 --- Pretesting --- p.35 / Chapter 2.4.7 --- Sampling Method --- p.35 / Chapter 2.4.8 --- Student Helpers Training --- p.36 / Chapter 2.4.9 --- Data Collection --- p.37 / Chapter 2.4.10 --- Fun-In-Seven Logo --- p.37 / Chapter 2.5 --- Intervention Program --- p.38 / Chapter 2.5.1 --- Planning the Intervention Programs - Health Committee Establishment --- p.38 / Chapter 2.5.2 --- "Intervention Activities, Curriculum Design and Implementation" --- p.39 / Chapter 2.6 --- Evaluations --- p.45 / Chapter 2.6.1 --- Process Evaluation --- p.45 / Chapter 2.6.2 --- Outcome Evaluation --- p.45 / Chapter 2.7 --- Data Management --- p.46 / Chapter 2.7.1 --- Data Processing --- p.46 / Chapter 2.7.2 --- Statistics --- p.46 / Chapter 2.7.3 --- Data Analysis --- p.47 / Chapter CHAPTER THREE: --- RESULTS / Chapter 3.1 --- Participation rate of the study --- p.52 / Chapter 3.2 --- Pre-intervention survey results --- p.52 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- General sociodemographic characteristics of students --- p.52 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Self-evaluated nutrition scores --- p.53 / Chapter 3.2.3 --- Breastfeeding --- p.55 / Chapter 3.2.4 --- Healthy Diet Pyramid --- p.61 / Chapter 3.2.5 --- Healthy breakfast awareness and practices --- p.64 / Chapter 3.2.6 --- "Eating out knowledge, attitudes and practices" --- p.68 / Chapter 3.2.7 --- Healthy Lunch --- p.73 / Chapter 3.2.8 --- Snack patterns --- p.77 / Chapter 3.2.9 --- Physical Activity --- p.81 / Chapter 3.2.10 --- Summary Profile of the Secondary Students in the Pre-intervention Survey --- p.92 / Chapter 3.3 --- Outcome evaluation --- p.95 / Chapter 3.4 --- Post-intervention Survey --- p.95 / Chapter 3.4.1 --- General sociodemographic characteristics of students --- p.95 / Chapter 3.4.2 --- Changes in self-rated nutrition knowledge --- p.96 / Chapter 3.4.3 --- Intervention effects on of breastfeeding knowledge and attitudes --- p.97 / Chapter 3.4.4 --- Healthy Diet Pyramid and healthy eating awareness --- p.104 / Chapter 3.4.5 --- Breakfast --- p.109 / Chapter 3.4.6 --- Eating Out --- p.113 / Chapter 3.4.7 --- Lunch --- p.117 / Chapter 3.4.8 --- Snacking --- p.121 / Chapter 3.4.9 --- Physical Activity --- p.128 / Chapter 3.4.10 --- "Changes in students' knowledge, attitude, and behavior after the intervention programme" --- p.140 / Chapter 3.5 --- Summary Profile of the Secondary Students in the Post-intervention Survey --- p.145 / Chapter CHAPTER FOUR: --- DISCUSSION / Chapter 4.1 --- Impacts of Fun-in-Seven programmes --- p.150 / Chapter 4.1.1 --- Breastfeeding --- p.150 / Chapter 4.1.2 --- Healthy Diet Pyramid --- p.151 / Chapter 4.1.3 --- Healthy Breakfast --- p.152 / Chapter 4.1.4 --- Lunch --- p.153 / Chapter 4.1.5 --- Snacking --- p.155 / Chapter 4.1.6 --- Physical Activity --- p.156 / Chapter 4.2 --- Strengths of the intervention programme --- p.157 / Chapter 4.3 --- Limitations and problems encountered --- p.159 / Chapter 4.4 --- Recommendations for further improvement --- p.161 / Chapter CHAPTER FIVE: --- CONCLUSION --- p.165 / References --- p.166-180 / Appendices / Chapter A --- Questionnaire for Teacher/Principal (English version) --- p.181-183 / Chapter B --- Secondary School Background Information (English version) --- p.184-195 / Chapter CI --- Questionnaire (Chinese version) --- p.196-209 / Chapter CII --- Questionnaire (English version) --- p.210-224 / Chapter D --- Pamphlets for seven themes (Chinese and English versions) --- p.225-257 / Chapter E --- Worksheets & Certificates (Chinese and English versions) --- p.258-283 / Chapter F --- Activities photos (English version) --- p.284-288 / Chapter G --- Summary of materials and activities of each theme in Fun-in-Seven (Chinese version) --- p.289 / Chapter HI --- Breastfeeding and Physical Activity Process Evaluation Questionnaire (Chinese version) --- p.290-291 / Chapter HII --- Breastfeeding and Healthy Diet Pyramid Process Evaluation Questionnaire (English version) --- p.292-294 / Chapter JI --- "Physical Activity, Breakfast, Lunch, Eat Out, Snack Outcome Evaluation (Chinese version) - School 1" --- p.295-299 / Chapter JII --- "Physical Activity, Breakfast, Lunch, Eat Out, Snack Outcome Evaluation (English version)" --- p.300-305 / Chapter KI --- "Physical Activity, Breakfast, Lunch, Eat Out, Snack Outcome Evaluation (Chinese version) - School 2" --- p.306-309 / Chapter KII --- "Physical Activity, Breakfast, Lunch, Eat Out, Snack Outcome Evaluation (English version) ´ؤ School 2" --- p.310-313 / Chapter LI --- "Physical Activity, Breakfast, Lunch, Eat Out, Snack Outcome Evaluation (Chinese version) ´ؤ School 3" --- p.314-317 / Chapter LII --- "Physical Activity, Breakfast, Lunch, Eat Out, Snack Outcome Evaluation (English version) ´ؤ School 3" --- p.318-322 / Chapter MI --- Teacher's Outcome Evaluation Form (Chinese version) ´ؤ School --- p.323-324 / Chapter MII --- Teacher's Outcome Evaluation Form (English version) 一 School --- p.325-327 / Chapter NI --- Teacher's Outcome Evaluation Form (Chinese version) ´ؤ School --- p.328-329 / Chapter NII --- Teacher's Outcome Evaluation Form (English version) - School --- p.330-332 / Chapter PI --- Teacher's Outcome Evaluation Form (Chinese version) - School --- p.333-334 / Chapter PII --- Teacher's Outcome Evaluation Form (English version) 一 School --- p.335-337 / Chapter QI --- Health Ambassador's Outcome Evaluation Form (Chinese version) --- p.338-339 / Chapter QII --- Health Ambassador's Outcome Evaluation Form (English version) --- p.340-341