Title of Problem: Rising Consumption of Junk Food Among Youth
Authors: Brijesh Sreeniwas (21331025105)
Aastik Mohanty (21331025010)
Rohit Malpure (21331025345)
Introduction:
In today’s fast-paced lifestyle, junk food has become a popular choice among students and young adults due to its convenience, taste, and easy availability. Fast food, packaged snacks, and sugary beverages are widely consumed despite increasing awareness about their harmful health effects. The growing influence of online food delivery apps has further encouraged frequent junk food consumption. Therefore, it is important to understand the factors influencing junk food consumption and the level of awareness among individuals regarding its health risks.
Objective: To study the pattern of junk food consumption among individuals and analyze their awareness and behaviour regarding its health impact.
Literature Review:
Childhood Obesity: Causes and Consequences
(Sahoo, K., Sahoo, B., Choudhury, A. K., Sofi, N. Y., Kumar, R., & Bhadoria, A. S., 2015)
This study explains that frequent consumption of junk food is a major contributor to obesity and lifestyle diseases among children and young adults. It highlights that taste preference, convenience, and lack of nutritional awareness encourage unhealthy eating habits. The authors stress the need for better food education and healthy dietary practices.
Online Food Delivery Services and Eating Behaviour
(Majumder, M., Rahman, R., & Sinha, N., 2021)
This research examines how online food delivery apps influence eating habits among young consumers. It finds that easy access, discounts, and fast service increase the consumption of fast and processed foods. The study concludes that digital convenience plays a major role in promoting unhealthy dietary behaviour.
Data Collection:
The data was collected using a Google Form questionnaire based on a 5-point Likert scale. A total of respondents participated in the survey.
The Likert scale used was:
1 – Strongly Disagree
2 – Disagree
3 – Neutral
4 – Agree
5 – Strongly Agree
The following statements were included:
- Q1. I consume junk food frequently.
- Q2. Convenience and taste are the main reasons I choose junk food over healthier meals.
- Q3. Online food delivery apps and easy availability have increased my junk food consumption.
- Q4. I am aware that excessive junk food consumption can negatively affect physical and mental health.
- Q5. Despite being aware of its health risks, I still consume junk food regularly.
For each question, Mean, Standard Deviation, Standard Error, and t-Statistic were calculated.
Data Analysis:
Mean, Standard Deviation, Standard Error and T-Statistic for each question are as follows:
|
Questions/ Functions |
Q1 |
Q2 |
Q3 |
Q4 |
Q5 |
|
Mean |
3.70 |
3.72 |
3.43 |
3.65 |
3.82 |
|
Standard Deviation |
1.23 |
1.15 |
1.09 |
1.13 |
1.19 |
|
Standard Error |
0.16 |
0.15 |
0.14 |
0.15 |
0.15 |
|
t-Stat |
4.42 |
4.82 |
3.07 |
4.45 |
5.33 |
- t > +1.96 → Accept Positive Alternate Hypothesis (μ > 3) People Agree.
- −1.96 ≤ t ≤ +1.96 → Accept Null Hypothesis (μ = 3) People are Neutral.
- t < −1.96 → Accept Negative Alternate Hypothesis (μ < 3) People Disagree.
Conclusion:
Based on the responses collected from the survey, the following conclusions are drawn:
- Since T-Statistic is > 1.96, people accept that they consume junk food frequently.
- Since T-Statistic is > 1.96, people accept that convenience and taste influence their choice of junk food.
- Since T-Statistic is > 1.96, people accept that online food delivery apps have increased junk food consumption.
- Since T-Statistic is > 1.96, people accept that they are aware of the negative health effects of junk food.
- Since T-Statistic is > 1.96, people accept that despite health awareness, they still consume junk food regularly.
Overall, the study shows that junk food consumption is high among individuals even though they are aware of its harmful effects, indicating a gap between awareness and behaviour.
Reference:
Sahoo, K., Sahoo, B., Choudhury, A. K., Sofi, N. Y., Kumar, R., & Bhadoria, A. S. (2015). Childhood obesity: Causes and consequences. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 4(2), 187–192.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4408699/
Majumder, M., Rahman, R., & Sinha, N. (2021). Online food delivery services and eating behaviour: A study on young consumers. International Journal of Consumer Studies.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ijcs.12625