Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Vol 817, Issue 1 36-48, Copyright © 1997 by New York Academy of Sciences
An overview of adolescent eating behavior barriers to implementing dietary guidelines
L. B. Adams
Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, USA.
Adolescents continue to report food and nutrient intake and physical
activity levels that conflict with the U.S. Dietary Guidelines and the Year
2000 objectives. Some of the barriers to healthier eating and exercise are
related to factors within the adolescent's environment, such as access to
healthy food choices or availability of preventive nutritional guidance as
part of routine health care. Many barriers, though, fit into the
theoretical framework that attempts to describe determinants of other risky
behaviors of adolescents. These include (1) adolescent and peer subgroup
norms that devalue healthy eating behavior; (2) participation in other
risky behaviors; (3) low competency (actual and perceived) in sports, food
selection, and food preparation; and (4) familial and cultural
expectations. Implications were discussed for intervention approaches and
policy recommendations that help confront these barriers.
