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ACCURACY OF CALORIC ESTIMATION IN ADOLESCENTS IN THE MIDWESTERN UNITED STATES
- Claudia M. Mueller (United States of America)
Abstract
Background and Aims
During adolescence, individuals’ relationship with food can change dramatically, particularly as they begin to assume more autonomy for their food selections. Such changes in eating behaviors can result in disordered eating patterns which may persist throughout life and lead to negative health consequences. In the present study we assess the nutritional beliefs and food perceptions of healthy adolescents in a midwestern high school. We examined accuracy of calorie estimates for a variety of foods and how these relate to psychological perceptions of health.
Methods
During a routine health class, 257 high school students (Mean age 15.5) were asked to rate a variety of foods (orange juice, coca-cola, hamburger, beans) on the Food Healthfulness Questionnaire (FHQ). Participants also completed the Health Mindset Scale (HMS) and were asked questions about their weight and dieting behaviors.
Results
Healthy adolescents showed good consistency in their calorie estimates for all food items (p< .01). However, these calorie estimates were generally inaccurate with only 27% of participants able to give correct calorie counts for the food items. 47% of participants under-estimated calories, while 12% over-estimated. Age was significantly related to calorie ratings with older students being more likely to over-estimate (p< .05).
Conclusions
In this study we reveal that adolescents’ calorie estimates tend to be inaccurate, with many students underestimating the caloric content of common foods. These inaccuracies may play an important role in understanding how adolescents perceive the foods they eat. Further investigations are needed to determine how these perceptions are created and how they can be altered.