Determinants of diet and physical activity in adolescents in Mysore, India: a qualitative study

Background Adolescence is an important transitional period in which major physical, psychological and cognitive changes occur. Lifestyle habits during this time, particularly related to dietary behaviour and physical activity, strongly influence overall health and non-communicable disease risk in adulthood. There are gaps in knowledge about the determinants of food choices and physical activity habits of adolescents in low and middle income countries. Objectives To identify factors which influence the food choices and physical activity habits of adolescents in the South Indian city of Mysore, India. Methods Six focus group discussions were conducted in selected urban neighbourhoods of Mysore. Thirty volunteers were recruited by purposive sampling method to include younger (10-12 years old, n=12) and older (15-17 years old, n=12) adolescents, and caregivers of adolescents (n=6). The focus group discussions were conducted by investigators who were native to the region Results Despite revealing a propensity for consuming fast foods, adolescents ate home cooked meals regularly, and both young people and their parents were satisfied with the quality of the adolescents’ diets. Also, all participant groups reported that adolescents regularly played and enjoyed games and sports, and did household chores as part of their physical activity. However, the pressure of schoolwork and the increasing amounts of time spent on digital devices including mobile phones were major constraints to being active. Conclusions Adolescents and caregivers perceive that Mysore adolescents’ dietary habits remain satisfactory. Academic study was found to be the priority in adolescents’ lives. This is recognized and accepted both socially and culturally as the right choice by parents and young people alike. Therefore, not much time or effort is spent on being active. A contradiction is that although time is considered to be a scarce commodity that necessitates careful partitioning, any surplus time is preferentially spent in playing digital games and interacting on social media. Interventions are needed to increase the amount of physical activity undertaken by Mysore adolescents.