The bar chart (Fig 1) illustrates the age distribution of participants aged 17 to 22 years, with orange bars representing the ages (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22) and blue bars indicating the corresponding frequency of participants for each age. The highest frequency is observed at age 18, with 406 participants, followed by age 19, with 374 participants. Moderate frequencies are recorded for ages 17 and 20, at 66 and 170 participants, respectively, while the lowest frequencies are seen at ages 21 and 22, with 75 and 36 participants.
The bar chart (Fig 2) illustrates the distribution of participants based on their place of living across four categories: Rural, Semi-Rural, Semi-Urban and Urban. The Urban category, represented by the blue bar, has the highest number of participants at 577, indicating a significant urban representation. In contrast, the Semi-Rural category, shown by the orange bar, has the lowest count at 89. The Rural category, depicted by the gray bar, has a moderately high number of participants at 340, while the Semi-Urban category, represented by the green bar, accounts for 121 participants. This data highlights a clear trend where urban areas have the most participants, followed by rural regions, with semi-rural and semi-urban areas having considerably smaller numbers.
The bar chart in (Fig 3) illustrates the educational qualifications of the participants. The colours represent different qualifications, with the green bar representing B.Tech, which has the highest number of participants at 736. Other qualifications show significantly lower counts, with B.Sc (orange) at 134, BA (blue) at 79 and B.Com (gray) at 51. The remaining categories, including BBA, BCA, M.Sc, M.Tech, MA and MBA, have relatively lower frequencies, ranging from 48 to 7 participants.
The bar graph illustrates the distribution of participants across four states (Fig 4). Andhra Pradesh has the highest representation, with 794 participants, followed by Telangana, with 272 participants. Karnataka and Tamil Nadu contribute significantly fewer participants, with 39 and 22, respectively. This indicates a predominant representation from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
The analysis (Table 1) explores apostrophe for individuals perceptions and behaviours regarding potato chip consumption across various variables, with responses rated on a scale where higher scores indicate stronger agreement. On average, individuals report moderate enjoyment and satisfaction from eating potato chips (mean score 3.03) and perceive them as moderately associated with social bonding (3.14), suggesting that they are somewhat valued for their immediate pleasure and as a social snack. Despite these positive associations, there is a notable awareness of the potential downsides. Individuals acknowledge potato chips’ poor nutritional content (mean score 3.42), demonstrating moderate awareness of their unhealthy components. They also express moderate concern over the negative impact on mental health (2.86) and recognise their contribution to unhealthy eating patterns (2.88). The perception of potato chips as an energy source is rated lower at 2.48, indicating that few view them as particularly energizing. The table reveals a complex relationship with potato chips, balancing immediate pleasure and social connections with awareness of health risks and potential impacts on mental well-being.
Table 2 summarises individual perceptions of potato chip consumption, highlighting moderate responses across various aspects. The mean ratings for Immediate Pleasure and Energy Boost are both 3.03, showing that girls experience moderate enjoyment and perceive a slight energy boost from consuming potato chips. Both distributions are slightly negatively skewed, with mode and median values at 3, indicating a common tendency towards mid-level enjoyment and perceived energy gain. For Social Bonding the mean score is slightly higher at 3.14, suggesting that respondents view potato chips as somewhat enhancing social interactions. This rating also shows a negative skewness, with a median of 3.25, reflecting higher ratings by some individuals. In terms of health awareness, the mean rating for Nutritional Deficiency is 3.42, showing moderate recognition of nutritional drawbacks associated with potato chips. The distribution is negatively skewed, with a mode and median of 3.5. On the mental health front, the mean rating for Negative Impact on Mental Health is 2.86, with a slight positive skewness, suggesting moderate concern about mental health impacts. Lastly, ‘Unhealthy Eating Patterns’ has a mean of 2.88, indicating recognition of unhealthy habits linked to potato chip consumption.
Analysis of potato chip eating habits across age groups
Table 3 presents the one-way ANOVA analysis of eating habits across age groups:
1. No significant differences in most factors (Immediate Pleasure, Social Bonding, Nutritional Deficiency, Mental Health Impact, Unhealthy Eating Patterns) across age groups (p >0.05).
2. Significant difference in Energy Boost perception (p = 0.018):
· Mean scores range from 2.23 to 2.54 for ages 17-18.
· Indicates varied perceptions of dietary energy impact.
3. Nutritional Deficiency awareness:
· Mean scores range from 3.38 to 3.63 for ages 18-22.
· Suggests differing levels of concern about nutritional inadequacy.
These findings indicate that while most perceptions remain consistent across ages, energy boost perception and nutritional deficiency awareness vary significantly among young female adults.
Table 4 summarises the key findings from the one-way ANOVA analysis regarding potato chip eating habits across different age groups.
Analysis of potato chip eating habits across different places of living
Table 5 interprets the one-way ANOVA analysis and reveals statistically significant differences across multiple factors related to eating habits based on the place of living:
Immediate pleasure
Shows a significant difference with a p-value of 0.013, indicating that perceptions of pleasure from eating vary across different places of living.
Energy boost
Has a significant p-value of 0.006, showing notable group differences in how much individuals perceive energy benefits from food.
Nutritional deficiency
Also yields significant differences with a p-value of 0.03, suggesting varied awareness or concern regarding nutrient deficiencies.
Unhealthy eating patterns
Shows significant differences with a p-value of 0.017, indicating recognition of unhealthy eating practices varies across groups.
Negative impact on mental health
Shows the most substantial significance with a p-value of 0.002, indicating strong group differences in awareness of potential mental health impacts from eating habits.
Social bonding
With a p-value of 0.069, it does not show a statistically significant difference, implying that foods role in social connections is viewed similarly across different living places.
Table 6 summarises the key findings from the One-Way ANOVA analysis regarding potato chip eating habits across different places of living.
Analysis of potato chip eating habits across four states in South India
Table 7 presents the one-way ANOVA analysis showing significant differences in perceptions of immediate pleasure, energy boost and nutritional deficiency from consuming potato chips across the four states, with p-values of 0.019, 0.002 and less than 0.001, respectively. This indicates that these factors vary significantly by state. However, social bonding and unhealthy eating patterns do not show significant differences (p-values of 0.201 and 0.26), suggesting consistent perceptions across states. The negative impact on mental health has a borderline significance (p-value of 0.051), indicating potential but not definitive differences in perceptions across states.
Group Descriptives
The Group Descriptives in Table 8 reveal notable variations in potato chip consumption perceptions across four South Indian states:
1. Immediate pleasure
Andhra Pradesh shows the highest mean (3.07), while Tamil Nadu has the lowest (2.64),indicating regional differences in enjoyment levels.
2. Energy boost
Andhra Pradesh again leads with a mean of 2.54, while Tamil Nadu has the lowest at 2.13, suggesting varied perceptions of potato chips as an energy source.
3. Social bonding
Andhra Pradesh (3.16) and Telangana (3.13) show higher means, contrasting with Tamil Nadu’s lower score (2.68), implying different social roles of potato chips across states.
4.
Nutritional deficiency
Telangana has the highest awareness (3.58), while Tamil Nadu shows the lowest (3.31), indicating varying levels of nutritional concern.
5. Negative impact on mental health
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana show slightly higher means (2.88 and 2.86) compared to Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, suggest-ing regional differences in perceived mental health effects.
6. Unhealthy eating patterns
Scores are relatively consistent across states, with Andhra Pradesh slightly higher (2.91) and Karnataka and Tamil Nadu lower (2.76).
These findings highlight regional variations in perceptions of potato chip consumption, with Andhra Pradesh generally showing higher scores across most dimensions, while Tamil Nadu often has lower scores. This suggests that cultural, social or environmental factors may influence attitudes towards potato chip consumption in different South Indian states.
Table 9 summarises the key findings from the one-way ANOVA analysis regarding potato chip eating habits across four states of south India.