Adolescents' Health Education and Social Media: An Exploratory Study in India

Purpose: The research aims to predict the perceptions/opinion of nutritious/harmful intake and the perceptions/opinion of different socializing agents who encouraged nutritious and healthy eating among the Indian adolescents. Design/Methodology/Approach: A survey was done on 160 adolescents from the different zones (eastern, western, northern, southern) in India. A well-structured questionnaire with suitable items was prepared and distributed among the adolescents in India. Findings: The findings of this study reveal that adolescents frequently ate/consumed unhealthy and junk foods (chocolates, snacks, soft drinks, etc.). As per the adolescents' perception, the intake of foods regularly on time comes under the most important healthy eating habit. Also, as far as the situational influences are concerned, like in marriages/birthday parties, it has been found that adolescents generally eat unhealthy foods. While at home or when they are sick, they generally eat healthy and nutritious food. The socializing agents, especially parents, act as a main agent or promoter for the healthy food as compared to peers, schools or the siblings. Research Limitations/Implications: In each region (east, west, north, south), only two to three secondary schools were chosen for the data collection; all these schools could not be the representative of the all the adolescents in different regions. Originality/Value: The article offers insights into designing communication strategies for adolescents' health education. It is original in that it focuses on adolescents, and explores the perceptions of different socializing agents and the influence of advertising media appeals on healthy eating.