Health Consciousness and Fast Foods - A Study Among College Students in Lunglei Town, Mizoram

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Vol. VI, Issue 1 (June 2020) http://www.mzuhssjournal.

in/

Health Consciousness and Fast Foods: A Study among


College Students in Lunglei Town, Mizoram
R. Lalnunthara*
NVR Jyoti Kumar†

Abstract
Fast foods are popular among young generation due to modernisation and
globalisation. Fast foods are quick, reasonably priced, and readily available
alternatives to home cooked food. Fast foods containing high level of sugar
and fat are unhealthy and addiction to fast foods would lead to obesity and
other human diseases. This article is aimed at understanding the health
consciousness of the college students about fast foods in Lunglei town in
Mizoram, a small state in North East India. The data were collected by
administering a structured questionnaire from the sample of 150 college
students. The sample was drawn equally from three colleges in Lunglei town.
Only around 23 per cent of the respondents were conscious about their health
while consuming fast foods. It is also found that as customers, the college
students under the study were not taking the required precaution in knowing
the product information while buying junk foods and instant foods. This
article suggests the health organisations, NGOs, and educational institutions
have a responsibility to create more awareness among the people about the
adverse impact of consumption of fast foods on health through public
relations, publicity, and public service campaigns. Further, there is a need to
create more awareness among the customers about the importance of reading
product information like nutritional value, ingredients, expiry date, health
claims etc. is required to ensure healthy eating habits.

Keywords: College Students, Fast Foods, Health Consciousness, Instant


Foods, Junk Foods, Product Information.

Introduction
Fast foods are quick, reasonably priced, and readily available alternatives to home
cooked food. Fast food is defined as a pre-packed meal, ready to eat food/convenience food

* Assistant Professor, Department of Commerce, Higher and Technical Institute Mizoram

(HATIM), Lunglei, Mizoram. Email: tharahatim074@gmail.com


† Professor, Department of Commerce, Mizoram University, Aizawl – 796 004, Mizoram.

Email: nvrjyoti@rediffmail.com

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(Harrison and Marske, 2005; Periera et al., 2005). The primary characteristic of fast food is
that it is ready made in nature and easy to eat. Fast foods are mostly designed for ready
availability, use and consumption. The fast food products are distinguished from others in
function of the following characteristics: being low priced, served quickly, usually eaten with
the hands, easily packaged, and having a short shelf life(Price 1997).The terms fast food and
junk food are often used interchangeably. Most of the junk foods are fast foods as they are
prepared and served fast, but not all fast foods are junk foods, especially when they are
prepared with nutritious contents (Kaushik et al., 2011). The concept of fast foods has
different meanings depending on the context, situation and culture. It has many definitions in
the literature.

Fast food culture is an emerging trend among the younger generation. The ready
availability, taste, low cost, marketing strategies and peer pressure make them popular with
children and adolescents (Kaushik et al., 2011). Consuming fast foods has become a recent
trend among upper society, teenagers and youth have also increased and the fast food has
won the palate of those groups (Ahmed et al., 2008).

Food diversity in India is an implicit characteristic of India’s diversified culture


consisting of different regions and states within. Traditionally, Indians like to have home-
cooked meals – a concept supported religiously as well as individually. However, with times
due to increasing awareness and influence of western culture, there is a slight shift in food
consumption patterns among urban Indian families. It started with eating outside and moved
on to accepting a wide variety of delicacies from world over.

Mizoram has a total area of 21,078 square kilometres. It is situated between Myanmar
and Bangladesh and has a strategic significance geographically and politically. The Mizo
people follow Christianity as their religion. The religion and the culture of Mizo people have
an impact on their food habits. Mizo people are also influenced by fast food culture and fast
food restaurants have been increasing in number in the state. Different varieties of fast foods
are available in these restaurants. The local restaurants provide fast foods of different kinds
such as chow, rice, soup, rolls, beverage, burgers, and so on. Mizo people consume junk
foods and instant foods which are available from shops. Some of the popular brands of junk
foods which are very commonly available in Mizoram include Lays, Kurkure, Coca Cola,
Fanta, Sprite, Frooti and Appy. Among children and college students in Mizoram, it is a
habit of consuming instant foods especially noodles such as Maggi, Wai Wai and Rum Pum.
Junk foods and instant foods are available in nook and corner all over the state.

A good number of studies have been carried out highlighting the health hazards as a
consequence of consumption of fast foods. Fast foods have high level of fat and sugars that
are not only unhealthy but addictive and that creates a vicious cycle making it hard for
children to choose healthy food. High content of trans-fat in commercially available fast
foods predispose children to risk of future heart diseases. Energy density of fast food is more
than twice the recommended daily allowance for children. Fast food intake leads to higher
proportion of calories being derived from total and saturated fat (Kaushik et al., 2011).

MZUJHSS, Vol. VI, Issue 1, June 2020 143


Increased fast food consumption can affect health because it has been linked to a diet that is
“high in calories, saturated fat, sugar, and sodium, as well as body fatness, weight gain, and
increased body mass index”. These nutritional components coupled with a sedentary lifestyle
could lead to health problems (Dingman et al., 2014).

Consumption of fast food among children in the United States seems to have an
adverse effect on dietary quality in ways that plausibly could increase risk for obesity
(Bowman et al., 2011).Consumption of junk food amongst urban school going adolescents in
Jorhat district of Assam is highly prevalent. General awareness about ill effects of junk food
amongst the adolescent was average which warrant appropriate public health interventions
(Sahu and Das, 2018).

Objective and Methodology


This article is aimed at understanding the health consciousness about fast foods
among college students in Lunglei town, Mizoram. For the purpose of the study, primary data
were collected by administering a structured questionnaire among the sample students of the
three colleges in Lunglei town, in Mizoram. The survey was conducted during July–August,
2016 which was confined to the college students in Lunglei town who consume fast foods at
least four times in a week. For the purpose of the study, fast foods include fast foods
available from college canteen and other restaurants, junk foods and instant foods. The
sample consisted of a total of 150 college students. The sample was drawn equally from three
colleges in Lunglei town, by selecting 50 students from each of the colleges. The equal
number of male (25) and female (25) respondents were selected from each of the colleges by
using the quota sampling method. Quota sampling was used to give equal representation to
each gender from each of the colleges. The questionnaires were administered to the
respondents in the college campus. Secondary data were collected from journals, newspapers,
books, and websites. The simple percentage is used to analyse the primary data collected.

Results and Discussion


Health consciousness while consuming fast foods
An attempt is made to know whether the respondents were health conscious while
consuming fast foods. Table 1 indicates the health consciousness of the respondents while
consuming fast foods available from college canteen and other restaurants.

Over 42% of the respondents were not conscious of the health hazards as a
consequence of fast foods consumption and only about 23% of the respondents were
conscious about it. One-third of the respondents were not sure about its impact on health. In
other words, more than 76% of the respondents were not conscious about their health while
consuming fast foods available from college canteen and other restaurants.

Interestingly, there is a difference between male and female respondents in terms of


health consciousness. Among the male respondents, 44% were not conscious about their
health while consuming fast foods while over 30% conscious about their health. Among
female respondents, over 41% were not conscious about their health while over 16% were

MZUJHSS, Vol. VI, Issue 1, June 2020 144


conscious about their health while consuming fast foods. Gender-wise, male respondents
(30.67%) were more conscious about their health than female respondents (16.22%). It may
be inferred that though the college students are educated, only about 24% of them were
conscious about the health implications of consumptions of fast foods. Unfortunately, only
over 16% of female students were conscious about their health while consuming fast foods.
Though Mizoram is having 91.58% of literacy rate in 2011 Census, a vast majority of
population are not graduates which may imply a high degree of unconsciousness about the
impact of fast foods consumption on health.

Table 1: Are you conscious about your health while consuming fast foods?
Gender Yes No Can’t Say Total
Male 23 33 19 75
(30.67) (44.00) (25.33)
Female 12 31 31 74
(16.22) (41.89) (41.90)
Total 35 64 50 149
(23.48) (42.95) (33.56)
Note: 1. Figures in parentheses are percentages. 2. One female respondent is not in a habit of
consuming fast foods available from restaurants even though she likes to consume junk foods
and instant foods.
(Source: Field study)

Health problem faced after consumption of fast foods


Table 2 shows the numbers of respondents facing health problems after consuming fast foods
in college canteen and other restaurants.

Table 2: Have you ever faced any health problem after eating fast foods?
Gender Yes No Can’t Say Total
Male 6 56 13 75
(8.00) (74.67) (17.33)
Female 19 41 14 74
(25.67) (55.41) (18.92)
Total 25 97 27 149
(16.78) (65.10) (18.12)
Note: Figures in parentheses are percentages
(Source: Field study)

Over 74% of male respondents did not face any health problem after consuming fast
foods. 8% of male respondents were facing some health problem after eating fast foods. Over
17% of male respondents were not sure about this. Among female respondents, around 55%
did not face any health problem after consuming fast foods. Over 25% of the female
respondents faced some health problem after consuming fast foods and over 18% of female
respondents were not sure about this. Overall, around 65% of the respondents did not face
any health problem. Around 16% of the respondents were facing some health problem and

MZUJHSS, Vol. VI, Issue 1, June 2020 145


around 18% of the respondents could not say about whether they faced health problem or not
after eating fast foods. It may be observed that one-fourth of the female respondents have
complained about ill-effects of fast foods consumption on their health. Such respondents
were only 8% among the male respondents.

Habit of reading product information on the packets before buying junk foods
Junk foods are energy dense foods with high sugar/fat/salt content and low nutrient
value in terms of protein, fibre, vitamin and mineral content (Kaushik et al 2011).In the
interest of customers, the Government of India had made it obligatory to furnish specific
information on the packages of food products. According to FSSAI, every packaged food
article for the domestic use has to be labelled in accordance to the related Indian Food Law
i.e. Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011. Product
information like nutritional values, ingredients, its manufacturer, expiry date, health claims
etc. should be displayed by the manufacturer on the packet of the product. In this connection,
it is attempted in the field study to know whether the respondents were in a habit of reading
such information while buying the junk food items. Table 3 indicates the habit of reading
product information on the packets of junk foods namely contents, date of manufacturing,
expiry date etc.

Table 3: Are you in a habit of reading product information on the


packet of junk foods before buying it?
Gender Sometimes Regularly Never Total
Male 54 9 11 74
(72.97) (12.16) (14.86)
Female 51 11 13 75
(68.00) (14.67) (17.33)
Total 105 20 24 149
(70.47) (13.42) (16.11)
Note: Figures in parentheses are percentages. One male respondent is not in a habit of taking
junk foods.
(Source: Field study)

Over 86% of the respondents were not in the habit of reading the product information
relating to junk foods on a regular basis. However, over 70% of the respondents read it
sometimes‘. In other words, only about 13% of the respondents were in the habit of reading
product information related to junk food items. Though the college students are educated and
understand English language without difficulty, only about 13% of the respondents were in
the habit of reading product information on a regular basis. But the consuming public
includes a large number of customers who cannot read the English and such customers might
be consuming junk food items without having a proper knowledge of the contents of the
products, expiry date and the health risk involved.

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Habit of reading product information on the packets of instant foods
Instant foods are foods that are ready to be served once dissolved or dispersed in a
liquid with low cooking time (Kaushik et al., 2011). As noted above, every packaged food
article for the domestic use has to be labelled in accordance to the related Indian Food Law
i.e. Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011, notified by
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). With the rise of problems and
diseases associated with poor eating habits, people are increasingly reading the information
printed on food packaging labels. In this connection, it is attempted to know whether the
respondents are in the habit of reading product information while buying instant foods. Table
4 displays the particulars regarding the habit of reading product information on the packets of
instant foods.

Table 4: Are you in the habit of reading product information on the packets of instant foods?
Gender Sometimes Regularly Never Total
Male 58 7 7 72
(79.45) (9.95) (9.95)
Female 52 13 11 75
(68.00) (17.33) (14.67)
Total 109 20 18 147
(74.15) (13.61) (12.24)
Note: Figures in parentheses are percentages. Three male respondents were not in a habit of
instant foods.
(Source: Field study)

Only over 13% of the respondents were in the habit of reading product information
relating to instant food items. Over 86% of the respondents were not in the habit of reading
product information relating to instant food items on a regular basis. However, over 74% of
the respondents read it sometimes.

Gender-wise, over 17% of female respondents and over 9% of male respondents were
in the habit of reading product information related to instant food items. It may be noted that
female respondents were more habitual in reading product information than their male
counterparts. In comparison to junk foods and instant foods, no significance difference is
found between the junk foods and instant foods in this regard as over 13% of the respondents
were in the habit of reading product information related to junk food items and instant food
items each. Further, it may be noted that female respondents were habitual more in reading
product information related to instant food items than junk foods.

Health problems faced after eating instant foods


Table 5 shows whether the respondents were facing health problem or not after
consuming instant foods. Nearly 7% of the respondents were of the opinion that it affected
their health after eating instant foods. Over 27% were not sure of it. Over 65% of the
respondents have not reported any health problem. In case of fast foods, over 16% of the
respondents were facing some health problems after eating fast foods. But in case of instant

MZUJHSS, Vol. VI, Issue 1, June 2020 147


foods, only around 6% of the respondents were facing such health problems. It may be noted
that the respondents were facing some health problems more after eating fast foods than
instant foods. The government of India had laid down the rules and regulations for enterprises
involving the production of packages food items to the safety of consumers. At the same
time, the government of Mizoram especially the health department, the educational
institutions have to discharge their responsibility in making the canteens and restaurants
provide healthy foods in hygienic atmosphere by giving due importance for preparation of
food items by using good quality ingredients and edible oil.

Table 5: In your experience, have you ever faced any health problem after eating instant
foods?
Gender Yes No Can’t Say Total
Male 3 46 23 72
(4.17) (63.89) (32.39)
Female 7 50 18 75
(9.33) (66.67) (24.00)
Total 10 96 41 147
(6.80) (65.31) (27.89)
Note: Figures in parentheses are percentages
(Source: Field study)

Issue of banning Maggi noodles in the year 2015


Maggi is an international brand of seasonings, instant soups, and noodles that
originated in Switzerland. The brand was acquired by Nestle in 1947. Maggi commanded a
market share of around 75 per cent prior to the five-month ban in 2015. Nestle India's instant
noodles brand Maggi, whose sales were severely hit by the Food Safety and Standards
Authority of India (FSSAI) ban in 2015, has now cornered close to 60 percent market share
(Business Standard 2017).

In May 2015, Food Safety Regulators from Barabanki, a district in Uttar Pradesh
reported that samples of Maggi 2 Minute Noodles had unexpectedly high levels of
monosodium glutamate, as well as up to 17 times the permissible limit of lead. This finding
led to multiple market withdrawals and investigations in India and beyond. On 6th June,
2015, the Central Government of India banned nationwide sales of Maggi noodles for an
indefinite period. Due to the issue of banning Maggi noodles in India during June-August,
2015, Nestle India, which follows a January-December financial year, reported decline of
17.2% in its net sales for the year ended December, 2015. Net profit for the year fell to Rs.
563crore, from Rs. 1,185 crore in the previous year. Subsequently, in August, tests performed
by the US health regulator FDA showed no dangerous lead levels in the products. On 13
August 2015, the nationwide ban was struck down by the Bombay High Court.

In this connection, it is attempted in the field study to know whether the respondents
were aware of the issue of banning Maggi noodles. Table 6 shows the number of college
students who were aware and not aware of the issue of banning Maggi noodles in the year of

MZUJHSS, Vol. VI, Issue 1, June 2020 148


2015. Nearly 79% of respondents were aware of the issue of banning Maggi noodles in the
year of 2015. Only about 13% of the respondents were not aware of the issue of banning
Maggi Noodles. Only about 9% of the respondents were not conscious about this issue.

Table 6: Are you aware of the issue of banning Maggi Noodles in the year 2015?
Gender Yes No Can’t Say Total
Male 53 12 7 72
(73.61) (16.67) (9.72)
Female 63 7 5 75
(84.00) (9.33) (6.67)
Total 116 19 12 147
(78.91) (12.93) (8.16)
Note: Figures in parentheses are percentages. Three male respondents were not in the habit of
consuming instant foods, hence they were not covered
(Source: Field study)

Among male respondents, over 73% were aware of issue of banning Maggi noodles in
2015. Over 16% of male respondents were not aware of the issue of banning Maggi noodles.
Only around 9% of male respondents were not conscious about this issue. Among female
respondents, 84% were aware of the issue regarding banning Maggi noodles in 2015. Over
9% of female respondents did not know about this issue. Only around 6% of female
respondents were not conscious about the issue of banning Maggi Noodles in 2015. Overall
analysis indicates that female respondents (84%) were more aware of the issue of banning
Maggi noodles than their male counterparts (73%).

In connection of Maggi noodles issue, the respondents were asked whether they
stopped buying Maggi noodles after the issue of controversy. Table 7 indicates the number of
respondents who have stopped or not stopped buying Maggi noodles on health grounds after
knowing the issue of banning Maggi noodles.

Table 7: Have you stopped buying Maggi noodles after the controversy?
Gender Yes No Can’t Say Total
Male 28 29 15 72
(38.89) (40.27) (20.83)
Female 26 39 10 75
(34.67) (52.00) (13.33)
Total 54 68 25 147
(36.73) (46.26) (17.01)
(Source: Field study)

Over 36 % of the respondents were stopped buying Maggi noodles on health grounds
after knowing the issue of banning Maggi noodles. Over 46% of the respondents were not
stopped buying Maggi noodles after knowing the issue. Only around 20% of the respondents
were not sure of it.

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In overall analysis, Over 38% male respondents were stopped buying Maggi noodles
on the health grounds after knowing the issue while over 34% of female respondents did the
same. No significance difference between male and female in this regard. 52% of female
respondents were not stopped buying Maggi noodles after knowing its issue and over 40% of
male respondents were also not stopped buying it. It may be noticed that female respondents
like Maggi noodles more than male respondents and did not bother about their health.

Conclusion
The study revealed that over 16% of the respondents were facing health problem after
consuming fast foods. Consumption of fast foods might not cause health problems promptly.
However, Fast foods are often high in energy and fat and also often contain a significant
amount of saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium (Brown et al., 1998; Paeratakul et al., 2003),
and frequent consumption of fast food meals may lead to the overconsumption of calories,
saturated fat, sugar, and sodium, weight gain, and obesity (Rosenheck, 2008).
Overconsumption of fast foods can lead to further complications such as diabetes, which is a
chronic disease and is associated with other health problems such as heart disease, stroke,
kidney failure, and diabetes (Stefanik, 2013). The present study indicated that three-fourth
respondents were not conscious about their health while consuming fast foods. Besides, the
study found that male respondents were more conscious about their health than their female
counterparts. In this regard, female education is more important as they tend to cook fast
foods as part of their daily habits. Eventually, that would affect their health as well as the
health of other family members. Over 86% of the respondents were aware of banning Maggi
noodles in 2015. However, only around 36% of the respondents were stop buying Maggi
noodles. This indicated that almost two-third of the respondents were not conscious about
their health regarding Maggi noodles which were banned due to high level of its containing
monosodium glutamate and lead.

Reading of food labels increased awareness in health due to the nutritional


information provided as a result the customers were more health conscious and that reflected
in their eating habits (Kempen et al., 2012).Although the college students are capable of
reading and understanding English language, the study also revealed that more than three-
fourth respondents were not in a habit of reading product information in the packet of junk
foods and instant foods. Individual consumers need to be more aware and educated about
their individual dietary needs, and devise their dietary strategies for food choice according to
their health (Abraham et al., 2018).The study suggested that the health organisation,
educational institutions and NGOs have responsibility to give awareness through public
relations, publicity and public service campaigns regarding the adverse impact of frequent
consumption of fast foods on health and read the product information to know the nutrient
contents, manufacturing date, and expiry date of the products to ensure the healthy eating
habits. Further, the government of India had laid down the rules and regulations for
enterprises involving the production of packages food items to the safety of consumers. At
the same time, the government of Mizoram especially the health department, the educational
institutions have to discharge their responsibility in making the canteens and restaurants

MZUJHSS, Vol. VI, Issue 1, June 2020 150


provide healthy foods in hygienic atmosphere by giving due importance for preparation of
food items by using good quality ingredients and edible oil.

*******

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