Adolescent compliance with dietary guidelines: health and education implications

Through school-sponsored health fairs, 398 adolescents (153 males and 245 females) between the ages of 14 and 18 completed a questionnaire on their compliance with six of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines. Results indicated that adolescents report highest compliance on "eat a variety of foods" and "eat foods with adequate starch and fiber." Conversely, they indicated low compliance on "reduce sugar intake" and "reduce fat, saturated fat and cholesterol intake." Sex differences were noted on two dietary guidelines. Females reported lower compliance with respect to "maintain desirable body weight." Males, on the other hand, reported lower compliance than females on "reduce salt intake." Given the fact that the dietary guidelines of "reduce fat, saturated fat and cholesterol," "maintain desirable body weight," and "reduce salt intake" are all aimed at reducing cardiovascular risk, the low compliance reported by adolescents may have long-range health implications.