Introduction:

Eating habits are modified in adolescence by different factors that are closely related to the typical changes of this stage of life.

Objective:

Examine the food preferences and behavior of basic junior high school´s adolescents.

Methods:

Cross-sectional study in "José Martí" Basic Junior High School, Cerro municipality, Havana, in the period September-October 2015 in 94 adolescents. All of them underwent a survey on the frequency of main meals, as well as weekly food consumption. The Ji-square test was used to establish associations among variables.

Results:

Females predominated (55.0 %) with an average age of 12.7±0.9 years. Most of them do not meet the recommended frequency of meals and their diet is based on foods high in fat and sugar, high in sodium and low in vitamins, fibers and minerals. Females have less breakfasts (32.0 %), males have less lunch (11.4 %) and dinner is the food that both sexes most respect (98.0 and 97.7%, respectively). Cereals (64.0 %), sugars (58.0 %) and dairy (56.0 %) are within the most consumed foods. Egg, cold meats and red meats are most consumed by males and white meats by females.

Conclusions:

Adolescents’ food behavior is mostly inadequate. in its majority with greater affectation in the feminine sex at breakfast and in the masculine sex at lunch. They have a low preference for vegetables and fruits in contrast to cereals, sugars and dairy products, which are more consumed.

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