Abstract
Purpose. To identify whether non-overweight students were different from their overweight or obese peers with respect to diet, suboptimal meal behaviours, and physical activity using a self-administered web-based survey. Methods. 4097 adolescents living in Alberta, Canada completed Web-SPAN (Web Survey of Physical Activity and Nutrition). Students were classified as overweight or obese, and differences were described in terms of nutrient intakes, physical activity, and meal behaviours. Results. Non-overweight students consumed significantly more carbohydrate and fibre, and significantly less fat and high calorie beverages, and had a higher frequency of consuming breakfast and snacks compared to overweight or obese students. Both non-overweight and overweight students were significantly more active than obese students. Conclusions. This research supports the need to target suboptimal behaviours such as high calorie beverage consumption, fat intake, breakfast skipping, and physical inactivity. School nutrition policies and mandatory physical education for all students may help to improve weight status in adolescents.
Highlights
IntroductionThe obesity epidemic is of concern in Canadian adolescents due to the dramatic increase in prevalence over the past 25 years [1]
Obesity has been recognized as a significant public health challenge worldwide
Univariate followup analyses for Body mass index (BMI) classification indicated that non-overweight students consumed significantly more carbohydrate and fibre, and significantly less fat compared to both overweight and obese students
Summary
The obesity epidemic is of concern in Canadian adolescents due to the dramatic increase in prevalence over the past 25 years [1]. Numerous health consequences of adolescent obesity exist including risk for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes [2], and persistence of obesity into adulthood [3, 4]. Obesity presents an enormous burden to our health care system, estimated in the billions of dollars, which is only expected to increase with the dramatic rise in obesity prevalence [6]. Given the numerous consequences of obesity, surveillance systems and measurement tools are needed to determine the effectiveness of obesity prevention programs and interventions [7]. Web-based methods of surveillance provide a cost-effective means to survey large numbers of participants concurrently throughout wide geographic areas.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
