Dietary Habits and Health Behaviors in Adolescents

Adolescence represents a critical window for establishing dietary patterns and health behaviours that can persist into adulthood. During this period, young people negotiate increased autonomy over food choices while experiencing rapid physiological, psychological and social development. Common trends include a decline in fruit and vegetable consumption, increased intake of energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods and a rise in sugar-sweetened beverage consumption. At the same time, meal practices such as family dinners and regular breakfast can exert protective influences on dietary quality. Socioeconomic factors and parental modelling play key roles in shaping eating behaviours, with lower household affluence often linked to poorer diet quality and reduced physical activity. Life transitions – such as leaving home, entering employment or higher education and cohabitation – coincide with shifts in routine that may worsen or improve dietary intake. Interventions that combine education, environmental support and family engagement have demonstrated potential to promote sustainable improvements. Understanding the interplay between individual preferences, social contexts and structural determinants is essential for the design of effective strategies to prevent chronic disease and promote lifelong health.

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Dietary Habits and Health Behaviors in Adolescents publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in dietary habits and health behaviors in adolescents across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

DASH score: A numerical index of diet quality based on adherence to Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension recommendations, including fruit, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy.

Food frequency questionnaire (FFQ): A self-report tool that assesses habitual consumption of food items over a specified period, commonly used in nutritional epidemiology.

Latent growth model: A statistical technique that estimates individual change trajectories over time and explores factors influencing variation in those trajectories.

Socioeconomic status (SES): A composite measure of an individual’s or family’s economic and social position, often based on income, education and occupation.

References

1. Changes in diet quality across life transitions from adolescence to early adulthood: a latent growth analysis. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2024).
2. Exploring the changing association between parental and adolescent fruit and vegetable intakes, from age 10 to 30 years. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (2024).
3. Socioeconomic status and health behavior in children and adolescents: a systematic literature review. Frontiers in Public Health (2023).