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Aim: This study assessed the nutrition awareness, attitude and practices of adolescent girls in Delhi and focussed on identifying gaps in knowledge and barriers to healthy eating. Subject and method: A total of 250 adolescent girls (13–15 years old) belonging to low-income families were selected from four government-run schools in four districts of Delhi in 2016–2017. The cross-sectional study involved assessing the girl's nutrition knowledge, attitude and practices and frequency of food consumption using a pretested questionnaire. Focus group discussions held with teachers, parents and the girls themselves helped to shed light on reasons for not adopting healthy food choices. Results: Nearly three quarters (72%) of girls skipped one or more meals every day. About 34% of girls stated it was not necessary to consume fruit and vegetables on a daily basis. Around 51% of girls had not consumed green leafy vegetables in the past week. Only 40% ate fruit daily and 58% substituted meals with snacks on a regular basis. 'Not feeling hungry' and 'disliking the taste of healthy foods' were identified as major barriers to eating a healthy diet. Only 18% of girls knew that a lack of iron in the diet could cause anaemia. A significant but weak correlation between nutrition knowledge and attitude was observed (r = 0.258; p < 0.05). There was no significant relationship between nutrition knowledge and practices (p > 0.05). Teachers were of the opinion that the school curriculum provided enough background about health and nutrition. However, the low scores of the girls (6.892 ± 3.24) did not reflect this. Parents believed their children did not have healthy eating habits and expected schools to provide the necessary information. Conclusion: Innovative behaviour change strategies are needed to inculcate healthy eating habits with the engagement of parents and teachers. School curriculums need to be modified to impart not only appropriate nutrition knowledge but also motivation for behaviour change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectiveTo study consumer knowledge and use of food labels.DesignA cross-sectional study employing both quantitative and qualitative methods. Intercept interviews were conducted with 1832 consumers at supermarket sites selected using a stratified random sampling procedure. This information was triangulated with twenty-one focus group discussions.SettingNew Delhi and Hyderabad, two metro-cities from north and south India.SubjectsAdolescent (10–19 years), adult (20–59 years) and elderly (≥60 years) consumers.ResultsWhile the national urban literacy rate is 84 %, about 99 % of the study participants were educated. About 45 % reported that they buy pre-packaged foods once weekly and about a fifth buy them every day. Taste, quality, convenience and ease of use are the main reasons for buying pre-packaged foods. Although 90 % of consumers across the age groups read food labels, the majority (81 %) looked only for the manufacturing date or expiry/best before date. Of those who read labels, only a third checked nutrition information and ingredients. Nutrient information on labels was not often read because most consumers either lacked nutrition knowledge or found the information too technical to understand. About 60 % read quality symbols. A positive association was found between education level and checking various aspects of food labels. Women and girls concerned about ‘fat’ and ‘sugar’ intake read the nutrition facts panel.ConclusionsThe intention of promoting healthy food choices through use of food labels is not being completely met. Since a majority of people found it difficult to comprehend nutrition information, there is a need to take up educational activities and/or introduce new forms of labelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]