Fast Food Consumption Habits in Students at Pejuang University of the Republic of Indonesia Makassar

Abstract

Changes in lifestyle, urbanization, and technological advancement have driven an increase in fast food consumption, especially among adolescents and young adults. This study aims to analyze the relationship between nutritional knowledge, the use of food delivery services, and environmental influence on fast food consumption among students at Universitas Pejuang Republik Indonesia (UPRI), Makassar. Using an analytic observational method with a cross-sectional design, the results of Spearman's rho test showed a significant negative correlation between nutritional knowledge and fast food consumption (p=0.003; r=-0.295), and a significant but very low negative correlation between food delivery service usage and fast food consumption (p=0.047; r=-0.199). Meanwhile, no significant correlation was found between environmental influence and fast food consumption (p=0.361; r=0.092). These findings suggest that both internal and external factors influence students' fast food consumption habits. Strengthening nutritional education, monitoring food delivery usage, and implementing environment-based interventions are recommended to reduce excessive fast food intake among adolescents.