a Department of Sports Medicine, Faculty of Sport and Physical Education , University of Belgrade , Belgrade , SERBIA.
J Am Coll Nutr. 2013;32(4):224-33. doi: 10.1080/07315724.2013.791149.
To assess eating habits and the level of physical activity in adolescents and develop a predictive model for the body mass index (BMI) based on these variables.
In this cross-sectional study, eating habits and the level of physical activity were assessed using a questionnaire validated in adolescents. Body mass and height collected during the last annual checkup were extracted from personal medical records.
The sample included 330 boys and 377 girls (mean age 15.8 ± 0.2 years) who were first-year high school students in the city of Belgrade, Serbia.
Responses to each of the 14 questions about eating habits and 6 questions about physical activity were scored from the least (0) to the most (3) desired behaviors. These ratings were then averaged to arrive to an aggregate score for each domain. The BMI was calculated according to the standard method. A series of regression analyses was performed to derive the best model for predicting BMI in boys and girls based on individual eating habits and physical activity items, first separately and then combined.
In the sample, 24.5% of boys and 9.5% of girls were overweight or obese. Girls' eating habits were better than boys (mean aggregate score 2.3 ± 0.3 and 2.1 ± 0.3, respectively, p < 0.001), whereas the level of physical activity was greater in boys than girls (2.1 ± 0.6 vs 1.9 ± 0.6, p < 0.001). The differences between boys and girls in the BMI, eating habits, and physical activity remained significant after controlling for their knowledge about healthy eating and education level of their parents. Eating habits were a better predictor of BMI than physical activity, particularly in boys (R (2) = 0.13 vs R (2) = 0.02) compared to girls (R (2) = 0.04 vs R (2) = 0.01). Combining eating habits and physical activity in the multivariate model of BMI resulted in a better predictive accuracy in boys (R (2) = 0.17) but not girls (R (2) = 0.04).
Eating habits and physical activity differ between adolescent boys and girls and can predict BMI, particularly in boys. The results suggest the need to develop gender-specific programs for promoting healthy lifestyle among adolescents in our country.
评估青少年的饮食习惯和身体活动水平，并基于这些变量建立身体质量指数（BMI）的预测模型。
在这项横断面研究中，使用经过青少年验证的问卷评估饮食习惯和身体活动水平。个人医疗记录中提取了上一年度体检时收集的体重和身高。
该样本包括来自塞尔维亚贝尔格莱德市的 330 名男生和 377 名女生（平均年龄 15.8 ± 0.2 岁），均为一年级高中生。
对饮食习惯的 14 个问题和身体活动的 6 个问题的每个问题的回答，从最不（0）到最希望（3）的行为进行评分。然后将这些评分平均得到每个领域的综合评分。根据标准方法计算 BMI。首先分别对男生和女生基于个人饮食习惯和身体活动项目的 BMI 进行预测，然后对这些模型进行了一系列回归分析。
在样本中，24.5%的男生和 9.5%的女生超重或肥胖。女生的饮食习惯好于男生（平均综合评分分别为 2.3 ± 0.3 和 2.1 ± 0.3，p < 0.001），而男生的身体活动水平高于女生（2.1 ± 0.6 比 1.9 ± 0.6，p < 0.001）。控制青少年对健康饮食的了解程度和父母的教育水平后，男生和女生之间在 BMI、饮食习惯和身体活动方面的差异仍然显著。饮食习惯比身体活动对 BMI 的预测更为准确，尤其是在男生中（R²=0.13 比 R²=0.02），而在女生中则不然（R²=0.04 比 R²=0.01）。在 BMI 的多变量模型中结合饮食习惯和身体活动可以提高男生的预测准确性（R²=0.17），但对女生没有影响（R²=0.04）。
青少年男女之间的饮食习惯和身体活动存在差异，并且可以预测 BMI，尤其是在男生中。结果表明，需要在我国为促进青少年健康生活方式制定针对不同性别的计划。
