Food and health: meanings attributed by adolescents

Abstract

The purposes of this study are to identify the teenagers’ knowledge about healthy feeding generally consumed by them, as well as discuss their consumption compared to the healthy feeding and to program health education actions about the subject. It is a convergent-assistance research, with individual interviews and application of a script with open and closed questions. The sample was comprised to 14 teenagers, with ages ranging from 14 to 17 years from a public school of the city. The results show us that the teenagers know about the healthy feeding habits, but most of them do not make use of these habits. The fast food culture is present in their habits that may have consequences for their health. It was concluded that the interventions are necessary to improve the teenagers healthy feeding, in order to last during the adulthood. As part of the convergent-assistance research, the intervention was done through dialogue and clarification of the teenagers questions about the subject.

Adolescent; Feeding; Nursing care; Health education