ABSTRACT
Economic growth and urbanization have changed global dietary habits and caused nutrition transitionglobally. Urban people, especially in developing countries, eat away from home, consuming more polishedgrains, fats and animal product, refined sugar and processed foods compared to rural people (Helman,2000). The change in consumption pattern which leads to nutritional change, in the long run, may beharmful for health of the people, including adolescents. Some studies indicate the change in consumptionpattern among the adolescents worldwide. The change in eating habits among young people due to somechronic diseases, are allegedly caused by adolescence’s unhealthy diet. A survey of middle and high schoolstudents in Minnesota shows that the youth consume more calories from fast food meals; they havedifficulty getting healthy food as there is higher proportion of unhealthy food, therefore making themprone to being overweight (Widome, Neumark‐Sztainer, Hannan, Haines, & Story, 2009). A qualitativestudy that identifies barriers to healthy eating among second level schools across Ireland showed thataggressive marketing by fast food franchises draw adolescents to these outlets although they know it isunhealthy; youth have autonomy over their eating behaviour and tend to eat unhealthily once they areindependent (Stevenson, Doherty, Barnett, Muldoon, & Trew, 2007).