Methodology
The current study sought to establish the relationship between Hispanic adolescents and fast food consumption. The methodology utilized was quantitative in nature and involved the collection of data on the topic. In addition, the study obtained the demographic characteristics of the participants, their income, and the relationship between their race and consumption of foods. A survey containing the research questions was carried out to assess the relationship between the Hispanic adolescents and their fast food consumption. Consequently, participants in the online survey answered the survey questions according to their food habits.
Limitations
The limitations of this current study include the unavailability of secondary sources of information on the consumption of fast foods by the Hispanic adolescents. Secondly, the survey questions limited the respondents as they were designed to capture the most relevant information. The other limitation of the study was the fewer ethnicities that participated in the survey. There were no American Indians or Pacific Islanders. Furthermore, this study was limited by the scarce financial resources.
Results
The survey had thirteen participants that answered the online questions. These participants were mainly Hispanic or Latino (69.23%), compared to the African Americans and the Caucasians that contributed 15.38% each to the participating population. A significant proportion of the participants (84.62%) were students in the adolescent age group and were, therefore, utilized in the survey. Additionally, most of the respondents had immigrated to the United States (61.54%), compared to 38.46%.
The participants were required to state how often their families consumed fast foods. Most of the respondents (38.46%) stated that their families occasionally or never consumed fast foods. This group was followed by another group whose families only consumed the fast foods 3-5 times in a week (30.77%). The last groups consumed fast foods once a day (15.38%) and a few times a day (15.38%).
The other part of the survey assessed the frequency of consumption of the fast foods by the respondents. The largest group of respondents consumed fast foods occasionally (46.15%) followed by another group that consumed fast foods about 3-5 times in a week a day (30.77). 15.38% of the respondents consumed fast foods a few times a day while only 7.69% of the respondents consumed these foods once in a day.
The last part of the survey assessed the choices of respondents. When asked to choose between a proper meal and junk foods, 61.54% of the participants stated that they preferred a proper meal. Another 15.38% of these participants stated they would choose junk foods with a similar number choosing to combine the two types of foods and eat more of proper foods. The last group said that they would prefer combining the foods with more of the junk foods (7.69%). The other finding is that participants usually do not read the instructions on the junk foods (61.45%). Only 23.08% of the respondents read the instructions. In most of the cases (69.23%), the participants obtained fast foods from fast food restaurants along. In addition, the television and the internet were the main sources of information for these participants.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the finds that the Hispanic adolescent population is a heavy consumer of fast foods. Most of this food is from fast food restaurants and is purchased by the adolescents in the absence of their parents. Additionally, the information on fast foods and their effects is present in all the major packages. The study also finds that the information available is mainly obtained from the internet and the television.