A new study has confirmed that poor food intake pattern of teenagers is increasingly leaving them vulnerable to health risks like obesity, as well as psychosocial and other health-related problems such as diabetes.

The study was conducted by researchers at Deakin's Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research in Australia.

As part of the study, researchers surveyed more than 3800 secondary school students aged 12-15 years to evaluate their food intake patterns.

They found that the diets of a significant number of adolescents fell short of the recommendations outlined in the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating.

"Teenagers need to be eating a variety of foods from the five food groups-breads/cereals, lean meat and meat substitutes, vegetables, fruit and dairy-every day," Professor David Crawford said.

The researchers also found that only one third of teenagers ate at least one food from each of the five-food groups everyday and just over half ate from each food group 'most days'.

"Our study found that most teenagers are far from having diets that will provide their growing bodies with the nutrients they need to ensure their long term health and well-being," he added.

Extra foods, such as fast foods, energy-dense snacks and sugar-sweetened drinks, were consumed by nearly 90 percent of the teenagers on a daily basis.

"The daily inclusion of fast foods coupled with the omission of a variety of healthy foods is setting many teenagers up for serious health problems such as obesity and the psychosocial and other health-related consequences associated with this condition such as diabetes," he said.

It was found that teenagers in regional areas tended to eat more vegetables and less fast foods than their metropolitan counterparts.

Girls' diets included more fruit and less fast food and sweetened drinks than boys, with boys consuming more meat and meat alternatives.

On the positive side, 87 percent of the adolescents drank water (including low energy-dense drinks) everyday.

Professor Crawford concluded that the results of the study highlight the need for more public health initiatives targeted at adolescents.