title: Changes in dietary habits and eating practices in adolescents living in urban South Africa: the birth to twenty cohort.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess changes in the dietary habits and eating practices of a longitudinal cohort of adolescents over a 5-y period living in Soweto and Johannesburg.
  
  
  METHODS
  An interviewer-assisted questionnaire was used to gather data on the dietary habits and eating practices across three environments: in the home, in the school, and in the community. Participants (n = 1451, 49.1% male, 89% black, and 11% with mixed ancestry) 13, 15, and 17 y old with complete data were included in the analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The weekday breakfast consumption decreased over the 5-y period, from 76% to 65% (P < 0.001); participants consumed breakfast during the weekend more regularly but this also decreased with age. Snacking while watching television increased with age, from 3.6 ± 4.6 to 6.7 ± 5.9 snacks/week, with female subjects consistently consuming more snacks than male subjects (P < 0.01). Two-thirds of participants ate their main meal with their families on most days at all three ages. Fast-food consumption increased by half a portion/week over the 5 y and confectionery consumption stayed the same, around 9 items/week in male subjects and 10 items/week in female subjects (P < 0.02). Lunch box usage decreased with age; conversely, the number of tuck shop purchases increased.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Poor eating habits in all three environments were found; the participants' propensity for foods that were energy dense and micronutrient poor was high. This study also found that dietary patterns are well established by 13 y of age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. alison.feeley@gmail.com
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Feeley
authors.forename: Eustasius
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Musenge
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pettifor
authors.forename: Shane A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Norris
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D041923:Adolescent Development; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004032:Diet / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics / Q000208:ethnology; D002149:Energy Intake / Q000208:ethnology; D057140:Fast Foods / Q000191:economics; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities / Q000191:economics; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D018977:Micronutrients / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000172:deficiency; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013019:South Africa; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013690:Television; D014504:Urban Health / Q000208:ethnology
chemical_list: D018977:Micronutrients