Do types of snacks, sleep hours, and eating places affect nutritional intakes and its adequacy in adolescents?

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: High-quality meal intake, including snacks, is necessary for optimal development during adolescence. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the nutritional intake of adolescents and the quality of their diet according to snack type, eating location, and sleep hours.

SUBJECTS/METHODS: A survey of middle school students living in Seoul and Gyeonggi province was conducted using questionnaires and the 24-h recall method to collect data on the 1-day dietary intake of the students from March to May, 2018. The data were analyzed using SPSS 23.0 and the CAN program.

RESULTS

The average nutritional intake status among the respondents showed that the energy intake was lower than the recommended, showing 1,914.8 kcal for middle school boys and 1,752.7 kcal for girls. In terms of the nutritional intake status by gender, only the consumption of protein and niacin were significantly higher in boys than girls ( < 0.05). According to the sleep amounts, vitamin C intake was significantly higher in the sleep-deprived group than in the sleep-moderate or sleep-recommended group ( < 0.05), but the intake did not meet the recommendation in any group. The lower density nutrients found in the index of nutritional quality according to eating places were vitamin C, calcium, iron, and folic acid. School meals showed a higher nutritional density in protein, vitamin B, and niacin compared to convenience store meals ( < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggested that sleep amount, and eating place affected the dietary quality of adolescents.