Department of Public Health, Sport and Nutrition, Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Agder, Norway.
Food Nutr Res. 2012;56. doi: 10.3402/fnr.v56i0.17231. Epub 2012 Jun 28.
Discussion about dietary factors in relation to behavioral problems in children and adolescents has been going on for a long time.
The aim of this study was to investigate the cross-sectional relation between diet and self-reported behavioral problems at school in adolescents in the southern part of Norway.
In total, 475 ninth- and tenth-grade students (236 boys and 239 girls) out of 625 eligible students from four different secondary schools in three different communities in Vest-Agder County, Norway, participated, giving a participation rate of 77%. The students filled in a questionnaire with food frequency questions of selected healthy (e.g. fruits, vegetables, and fish) and unhealthy (e.g. sweets, sugar-sweetened beverages, and crisps) food items, questions of meal frequency, and four questions regarding behavioral problems at school.
HAVING BREAKFAST REGULARLY WAS SIGNIFICANTLY ASSOCIATED WITH DECREASED ODDS OF BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS (OR: 0.29 (0.15 - 0.55), p≤0.001). A high intake of unhealthy foods, such as sugar-sweetened soft drinks (OR: 2.8 (1.06 - 7.42), p=0.03) and sweets (OR: 2.63 (1.39 - 4.98), p=0.003), was significantly associated with increased odds of behavioral problems. At the same time, a high intake of fruits was associated with decreased odds of behavioral problems in Norwegian adolescents (OR: 0.30 (0.10 - 0.87), p=0.03). All ORs are adjusted for sex and BMI.
This study shows that having an optimal diet and not skipping meals are associated with decreased odds of behavioral problems at school in Norwegian adolescents. Hence, it is important to improve the dietary intake and meal pattern of Norwegian adolescents. The cross-sectional design of this study limits any causal interpretations of the results of the study.
关于儿童和青少年行为问题与饮食因素的讨论由来已久。
本研究旨在调查挪威南部地区青少年饮食与在校自我报告行为问题之间的横断面关系。
共有来自挪威 Vest-Agder 郡三个不同社区的四所中学的 625 名符合条件的学生中的 475 名（男生 236 名，女生 239 名）参与了研究，参与率为 77%。学生填写了一份问卷，其中包括选择的健康食品（如水果、蔬菜和鱼类）和不健康食品（如糖果、含糖饮料和薯片）的食物频率问题、用餐频率问题以及关于在校行为问题的四个问题。
经常吃早餐与行为问题发生几率降低显著相关（OR：0.29（0.15-0.55），p≤0.001）。大量摄入不健康食物，如含糖软饮料（OR：2.8（1.06-7.42），p=0.03）和糖果（OR：2.63（1.39-4.98），p=0.003）与行为问题发生几率增加显著相关。与此同时，大量摄入水果与挪威青少年行为问题发生几率降低相关（OR：0.30（0.10-0.87），p=0.03）。所有 OR 值均经过性别和 BMI 调整。
本研究表明，饮食均衡且不挑食与挪威青少年在校行为问题发生几率降低相关。因此，改善挪威青少年的饮食摄入和用餐模式非常重要。本研究的横断面设计限制了对研究结果的任何因果解释。
