NATIONAL

HEALTH BEHAVIOUR IN SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN:
WHO COLLABORATIVE CROSS-NATIONAL STUDY (HBSC)
2014 SURVEY IN SCOTLAND NATIONAL REPORT
EATING HABITS
INTRODUCTION
Good eating habits are highly beneficial to health and well-being at all ages. Adolescence is a critical period in the
development of good eating habits for two key reasons. Firstly, eating habits formed at this time can persist into adulthood,
influencing risk of major chronic diseases 1 . Secondly, as children move into adolescence, they tend to be given greater
control over eating choices, in particular through increased opportunity to buy their own food and drink outside of the
home and without adult supervision 2 . Although there have been improvements in recent years, many young people in
Scotland are still not meeting dietary recommendations 3 . Rates of breakfast consumption are also low compared to many
other developed nations 4,5 . As in many other countries across Europe and North America, less than 50% of young people
report eating fresh fruit and vegetables daily 3 .
Breakfast consumption is widely seen as an important component of a healthy diet and lifestyle, that can positively impact
on children’s health and well-being 6 . Skipping breakfast is associated with increased consumption of (often unhealthy)
snacks later in the day 7 . Common snack foods amongst children include sugary drinks, crisps and sweets; a high intake of
which is associated with increased risk of dental caries 8 and excessive body weight 9 . With respect to being overweight,
there is the additional risk factor of sedentary activities such as TV watching, which are associated with consumption
of sugary drinks and sweets 10 ; so high calorific intake can often be combined with high levels of inactivity. School meals
can be an important vehicle for raising awareness of healthy eating and directly providing healthy eating choices. The
provision of free school meals may be particularly important in this regard. However, in adolescence, many children switch
to having their lunch away from school. This occurs for a variety of reasons including peer influence, the attraction of being
out of school, feelings of independence, and issues such as preferences, choice and value for money of the alternatives to
school lunches 11 . Parents can have a strong impact on adolescent eating habits 12 . Regularly eating together as a family
during childhood has been linked to many benefits related to eating habits and emotional well-being in childhood and
later in life 13 . Family meals encourage regularity in eating patterns, which is associated with both better health and wellbeing
14 , and also reduced risk of unhealthy weight control methods 15 . In Scotland, as in other industrialised countries, there
has been a trend over time for increased consumption of fruit and vegetables and less consumption of sugary snacks 3 .
Healthier diets are reported by children living in rural areas of Scotland compared to urban 16 , and by children living in more
affluent families 3 . Unhealthy eating behaviour is associated with depression, anxiety and stress in adolescents 17 .
Promoting healthy eating has been a policy priority in Scotland for many years1 18,19,20,21 . Scottish Dietary Goals were set
by the Scottish Government in 2013 22 and these describe, in nutritional terms, the diet that will improve and support
the health of the Scottish population. They continue to underpin diet and health policy in Scotland and are used for
monitoring purposes. The Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrition) (Scotland) Act (2007) 19 requires schools to promote
school lunches and to ensure that these meet agreed standards of nutrition. The foods available to children who leave
school at lunchtimes are addressed in the Scottish Government publication Beyond the School Gate, which was launched in
2014. It provides recommendations for local authorities, schools, retailers, caterers and other food providers on action they
can take to influence the food environment around schools and how they can help children and young people to make
healthier choices 23,24 .
HBSC FINDINGS
Since 2002, the HBSC study has measured the frequency with which a range of food and drink items are consumed by
young people. The survey also collects data relating to young people’s experience of eating family meals, breakfast and
school meals.
FAMILY MEALS
Half (50%) of young people eat an evening meal with their family (mother or father) every day. There is no gender difference
in the reported frequency of family meals, but the likelihood of eating a family meal decreases with age: 58% of 11-year olds
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