| Abstract [eng] |
Background. In modern society, due to the wide availability of food products, choosing health-friendly options that support a balanced diet and prevent health problems is becoming a significant challenge. The increased availability of unhealthy food has been driven by rapid urbanization and changing lifestyles. During their sudies, students usually do not follow a regular eating schedule, often skip breakfast, consume insufficient amounts of fruits and vegetables, and more frequently choose fast food or ready-to-eat meals. Therefore, it is important to research which unhealthy food choices and determining factors are typical for this target group. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalance of unhealthy food consumption among Vilniaus University students. The objectives: To identify the factos infuencing student‘s choice of unhealthy foods; To evaluate the criteria students use when choosing unhealthy food; To investigate the most frequently consumed unhealthy food products among students; To determinate the impact of unhealthy food consumption on students' well-being Research methods. The study applied the method of scientific literature analysis to evaluate researchers' insights and summarize their findings, alongside an empirical method to identify the main factors and causes of unhealthy eating among students. Rezults. According to the survey data, the main factors determening students' dietry choices are spending time with friends 68,7 %, an unwillingness to cook 50,5 % , and lack of time 46,9 %. The most important criteria for choosing unhealthy food are taste 85,2 %, satiety 75,9 %, and food freshness 74,1 %. The most frequently consumed unheathy foods among students are frozen ready-to-eat meals 58,8 %, pizza 36 %, and microwaveable dishes 40,2 % and pizza 36 %. The most commonly consumed sweets are sugar added to tea or coffee 41,7 %, chocolate 36,8 %, chocolate bars 35,5 %, and pastries 34,4 %. Furthermore, the most frequently consumed snacks include are smoked and dried meat 46,9%, and potato chips 38,4 %. The most common symptoms reported arter consuming unhealthy food are thirst 45,3 %, a temporary feeling of satisfaction or pleasure 32,9 %, and a feeling of fullness or overeating 31,9 %, Conclusions. 1. The study demonstrates that students most often choose unhealthy food for following reasons: being with friends, ungwillingness to cook, and lack of time. 2. When choosing unhealthy foods, students usually prioritize taste, feeling of fullness, freshness of products, smell, pleasant texture, convenient packaging, aesthetic appeal, convenience for consumption on the go, and quick availability. 3.The most commonly consumed unhealthy food products among students are frozen ready-to-eat meals, microwaveable dishes, pizza, and sandwiches or submarines. Regarding confectionary, the most frequent choises are sugar added to tea or coffee, chocolate bars, chocolate and pastries. 4. The more frequently students consume unhealthy food, the more negatively they perceive their curent health status. |
