Assessment of knowledge on fast food consumption as a major cause of PCOD among college going girls in Sundargarh Town, Odisha

Fast food refers to quickly prepared, ready -to-eat meals that are often high in calories, sugar, salt and unhealthy fats. While fast food offers convenience, affordability and taste appeal, its regular consumption can lead to several health issues. Nutritionally poor and calorie-dense, fast food contributes to weight gain, insulin resistance and hormonal imbalances. These factors significantly increase the risk of polycystic ovarian disease in young women. PCOD is a hormonal disorder marked by irregular periods, cystic ovaries, and fertility issues. Studies suggest that unhealthy eating patterns, particularly frequent fast food intake, can aggravate PCOD symptoms and long term reproductive health. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of fast food consumption among college going girls. This research focused on fast food consumption and its health effects with future major complication. The data for the study was obtained from respondents in different colleges of Sundargarh town, Odisha, by simple convenient sampling methods 250 college going girls (+2, +3) between the ages of 16-20 were to take part in obtaining response on fast food consumption. A well-structured, pre-tested open-ended and closed-ended questionnaire was used for data collections. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS-20, MS Office, Mean, Standard Deviation, and Correlation. Studies reported that taste, advertising and marketing, parental influence, nuclear families and working mothers, affordability, availability, peer pressure and meal skipping to be the contributory associated factors.