BS IN NUTRITION
(2022)
Assessment of the Quality of Diets of 10 to 16 Years Old Adolescents in Selected Philippine Rural and Urban Municipalities Using the World Index for Sustainability and Health (WISH)

Author

Ann Jullian D. Mendoza

Adviser

Angelina D. Felix, PhD

Unsustainable diets can be detrimental to both human health and environment. Utilizing secondary data, this study assessed diets of 309 adolescents in selected Philippine rural (n=176) and urban (n=133) municipalities using the World Index for Sustainability and Health (WISH), a newly developed index based on the EAT-Lancet recommendations. Two non-consecutive, typical 24-hour food recalls were used and classified into 13 WISH food groups. Total WISH score and sub-scores of "healthy," "less healthy," "low environmental impact," and "high environmental effect" were computed. Low mean total WISH scores (rural: 33.3; urban: 33.9 out of 130) indicated that adolescents’ diets were unhealthy and unsustainable. Red meat, cereal grains, and added sugar made up majority of their diets. Adolescents from urban areas consumed less of each food category but had higher mean intakes. WISH scores for fish and saturated fats were better in urban municipality while rural municipality had better WISH scores in cereal grains and unsaturated fats. Adolescents’ WISH sub-scores were equal, except for the low environmental impact, where urban performed better. Moreover, father’s education was the only factor associated with the environmental impact sub-scores. As a recommendation, improving teenagers' overall diets is necessary for long-term reduction of health risks and environmental impacts.

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