Selected elements of the assessment of eating habits on the example of 2nd and 3rd classes of high school

Aim The aim of this paper is the assessment of eating habits of high school students from grades 2 and 3, including eating habits, self-evaluation of diet and the most common nutrition mistakes committed by the members of the studied group. Materials and methodology The study involved 333 high school students between the age of 17 and 19. The group consisted of 150 girls and 183 boys. Data was collected using an original survey which consisted of questions dealing with diet and respondent’s particulars. The study was anonymous. The results have been subjected to statistical analysis using Pearson’s chi-squared test. The statistical differences recognized as significant were those with probability of p<0.05 Results The majority reaching nearly 40% of respondents declared that they eat 4 meals a day. Over 60% eat breakfast every day. The number of students who declared that they do not eat breakfast at all amounted to 48. Over 55% do not pay attention to their eating habits, whereas 45 students consider them unhealthy. About 60% of respondents declare that they do not drink energy drinks. Within the group of students who consume such drinks the most often declared frequency was 1-2 times a week. The answers, however, vary between the female and the male group (chi-square=82.72121, p≤0,05); 75% of males do not consume energy drinks, among females the percentage amounts to mere 43%. Conclusions The students taking part in the study commit nutrition mistakes which might be a sign of unsufficient level of health education within that field. The nutritional education of the youth should start in primary school and be adapted to the needs and possibilities of the target group. In the face of poor diet, it seems justified to analyze the sources of information on nutrition used by the youth in terms of their credibility.