Biological Risks, Economic Drivers and Intervention Benefits of High-Fat-Sugar Takeaway for Urban Adolescents

Abstract

With the rapid prevalence of digital catering services, takeaway consumption has evolved into a prevalent lifestyle among Generation Z, particularly adolescent students, triggering widespread concerns about youth dietary health. Frequent takeaway intake is associated with low nutritional value of food and harmful chemical substances in packaging, which imposes latent long-term physical hazards and threatens adolescent physical development and public health. This paper explores multi-dimensional factors affecting teenagers' takeaway consumption behavior from personal and platform perspectives, and systematically analyzes the hidden health risks of long-term frequent takeaway consumption. Corresponding targeted improvement strategies are proposed matching the three dimensions of individuals, catering platforms and government regulation. On the personal level, improving self-discipline and cultivating independent cooking skills can effectively reduce takeaway dependence. Platform-side rectification includes cancelling preferential inducements and clearly marking food calories and ingredients. Governments can regulate unhealthy catering consumption through targeted taxation on sugary products. Though these interventions have minor limitations, their health and social benefits are prominent. The research integrates public health and economic perspectives to reveal essential causes of unhealthy dietary behaviors, providing practical references for standardizing youth eating habits, improving public health levels and reducing dietary-related health risks.