Association of Brazilian Adolescents with Healthy Eating Knowledge, Perceptions and Food Choices英文文献资料.docVIP

Food and Nutrition Sciences, 2011, 2, 1036-1042 doi:10.4236/fns.2011.29138 Published Online November 2011 (http://www.SciRP.org/journal/fns) Association of Brazilian Adolescents with Healthy Eating: Knowledge, Perceptions and Food Choices Ana Carolina Barco Leme, Sonia Tucunduva Philippi, érika Christiane Toassa da Silva Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of S?o Paulo, S?o Paulo, Brazil. Email: leme.acarolina@usp.br Received July 27 , 2011; revised August 26 , 2011; accepted September 5 , 2011. th th th ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to identify the adolescents’ knowledge and perceptions of healthy and unhealthy eating. It is a qualitative cross section study with 83 adolescents of both genders between 10 and 16 years old enrolled in a public school in the city of S?o Paulo, Brazil. The participants answered two discursive questions that assessed their knowl- edge and perception of their actual diet. These questions were later analyzed by a qualitative technique, “Discourse of Collective Subject” based on the Theory of Social Representations. Overall, the youth presented an adequate knowledge about healthy eating. About half (52.6%) reported a balanced and varied diet; and 56.3% considered their actual diet as being healthy. Adolescents’ knowledge about healthy eating isn’t the only determinant for their food choices; and so traditional nutritional interventions focusing on concepts about healthy eating should be modified, aiming at behavioral changes. Keywords: Adolescents, Healthy Eating, Qualitative Study, Knowledge and Perceptions 1. Introduction ment of lifelong eating behaviors may have long term health implications [5]. The quality of adolescents′ diets has become of growing concern for researchers and health professionals. Studies all over the world have