Glozah Franklin N, Pevalin David J
Int J Adolesc Med Health. 2015 Aug;27(3):253-9. doi: 10.1515/ijamh-2014-0019.
To examine the role of perceived social support and parental education on physical activity and eating behaviour of Ghanaian adolescents.
Seven hundred and seventy Senior High School students (504 boys and 266 girls) between the ages of 14-21 years participated by completing questionnaires on perceived social support, physical activity and eating behaviour. The highest education attained by either parent or guardian was also obtained. Multivariate analysis of covariance was the main statistical test used to analyse the data.
The results showed significant gender differences in physical activity and eating behaviour combined, with boys more likely to engage in physical activity than girls, and girls also more likely to engage in healthy eating behaviour than boys, albeit the effect was not statistically significant. While perceived social support had a significant positive effect on eating behaviour and physical activity, parental education had a significant effect only on eating behaviour but not physical activity.
Perceived social support from family coupled with parental education provides more opportunities for adolescents to engage in healthy eating behaviour. Also, parents' educational attainment alone does not necessarily guarantee that adolescents will engage in physical activity; providing the needed social support and conducive home environment is more likely to induce physical activity behaviours. Finally, physical activity and eating behaviour should not be construed as alternative health behaviours as suggested by gender differentials in these health behaviours.
探讨感知到的社会支持和父母教育对加纳青少年身体活动及饮食行为的作用。
770名年龄在14至21岁之间的高中生（504名男生和266名女生）参与了研究，他们通过填写关于感知到的社会支持、身体活动及饮食行为的问卷。同时还获取了父母或监护人所达到的最高教育水平。多变量协方差分析是用于分析数据的主要统计检验方法。
结果显示，在身体活动和饮食行为方面存在显著的性别差异，综合来看，男孩比女孩更有可能参与身体活动，女孩比男孩也更有可能养成健康的饮食行为，尽管这种影响在统计学上并不显著。虽然感知到的社会支持对饮食行为和身体活动有显著的积极影响，但父母教育仅对饮食行为有显著影响，对身体活动则没有影响。
来自家庭的感知到的社会支持加上父母教育为青少年养成健康饮食行为提供了更多机会。此外，仅父母的教育程度并不一定能保证青少年会参与身体活动；提供所需的社会支持和有利的家庭环境更有可能促使身体活动行为的产生。最后，这些健康行为中的性别差异表明，身体活动和饮食行为不应被视为相互替代的健康行为。
