Farming Today August 2022 Harvest Blast Digital Issue

Farmers Digital Solutions 1-866-668-5565 • www.todaypublicationsfd.net August 2022 Harvest Blast Issue 32 Methods WHAT MAKES YOU CHOOSE THE FOOD YOU EAT? Question 1: Patterns in adolescent eating We explored three data sources: Large surveys of what adolescents eat in China, Mexico, and India over time. The Global School-based Student Health Surveys (GSHS) from 72 countries. A review of scientific and gray literature about dietary intake. This included information from 249 countries and territories from 2010 to 2020. Question 2: Factors that affect food choice We pooled and analyzed data from eleven scientific studies. These studies interviewed adolescents and adults from eight countries. They asked them: what factors influence their food choices, and what other things motivate them. We classified our findings based on the food environment: traditional, mixed, and modern. Results 1. Patterns in adolescent eating We learned that economic status influences what adolescents eat. Adolescents with more money eat more nutrient-rich foods. These foods include fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat and eggs. They also consume nutrient-poor foods like sugarsweetened beverages, fried foods, and sweets. Adolescents with less money eat fewer nutrient-rich foods. They also eat high-sugar and high-fat foods less often. The survey revealed that adolescent diets are very different around the world. It also showed that adolescents in only 2 of the 72 countries eat enough fruits and vegetables. But adolescents in most countries drink carbonated beverages at least once a day. They also eat fast food once a week on average. What do young people say are the most important factors for their food choices in each type of food environment? Traditional Environment High Importance Moderate Importance Low Importance None Mixed Environment High Importance Moderate Importance Low Importance None “We don’t get root vegetables or fruits that often...only once a month” (Girl, rural India) “Families don’t get to buy them always...even if they buy, I may feel like not eating these foods. We can’t buy mango, jackfruit all the time”. (Boy, urban Bangladesh) Modern Environment High Importance Moderate Importance Low Importance None “All your friends are having like, another chocolate bar or packet of crisps all the time, you’re gonna want to like buy a chocolate bar”. (Boy, urban UK) Desirable Convenient A ordable Available Figure 1: What young people from different food environments said determines their food choices.

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