Adolescent Food Consumption in Urban China: Factors Influencing BMI and School Meals
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Abstract
China’s food consumption patterns are changing as the population becomes wealthier and more urban. As the country ages, today’s adolescents will be tomorrow’s consumers. Few studies have focused on this important demographic.
This study intended to investigate what might be influencing adolescent BMI by examining what adolescents are eating at home and away from home along with socioeconomic factors. An increase in a mother’s education was found to have a positive influence on BMI. Another section focuses on what adolescents consume at school compared to at home and also examines their parent’s perception of these school meals by developing an ordered logit model. Compared to preschool, the likelihood of a parent being satisfied with all aspects of a school meal decreased for higher levels of the student’s education. Almost three times as many lunch meals were consumed at school, proving how important this often forgotten meal is.