PREFERENCES TOWARDS SWEETS AND SALTY SNACK CONSUMPTION AMONG YOUNG POPULATION IN RELATION TO BMI

Dietary habits reorientation and increased consumption of so-called “unhealthy food” become
common in adolescence period. Excessive consumption of sweets and fatty, salty snacks
alongside with reduced consumption of fruits and vegetables represent potential health risks
associated with caries, obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Nevertheless, recent studies
indicate that chocolate intake could contribute to the cardiovascular diseases prevention and
potential role of chocolate in benefits linked to lower body mass index (BMI). The presented
study aims to examine adolescents’ habits regarding chocolate, sweets and snacks consumption
as well as corresponding products intake frequency and relate them with BMI. In this regard, a
questionnaire survey was applied to 525 individuals attending elementary and high schools in
the province of Vojvodina, Serbia (57.5% females and 42.5% males). The participants’
nutritional status and risk for overweight were addressed through BMI assessment. Normal
range nutritional status (70.5%) was determined among the majority of participants followed
by overweight (19.8%) and obese (7.6%). Compared to females, increased number of
overweight and obese nutritional statuses was recorded among male participants. Regardless of
the participants’ nutritional status, fruits were most frequently consumed between meals,
followed by salty snacks and sweets. The highest share of sweets consumption between meals
was noticed among participants with obese nutritional status (15%). Furthermore, more than
40% of participants with overweight and normal range nutritional status do not consume
chocolate at all, while 2.5% of participants with obese nutritional status stated that they
consume chocolate daily during the entire week.