Eating habits and practice of physical activity among eutrophic and overweight adolescents

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To assess the eating habits and physical activity of adolescents enrolled in two public schools in thecity of Ribeirao Preto (SP). METHODS: A case-control study was conducted to analyze the eating habits and practiceof physical activity of a group of overweight adolescents and of a eutrophic control group matched for sex and age.The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ short version) and a semi-quantitative food frequencyquestionnaire were applied and a 3-day food record was obtained. The nutritive value of the foods consumed wascalculated with the Virtual Nutri® software. Body fat was estimated using the equations of Slaughter et al. Data wereanalyzed statistically by ANOVA and by the Fisher exact test. RESULTS: Fifty-one (44.7%) overweight and 63(55.2%) eutrophic adolescents were studied. Mean BMI was 29.5 for the overweight group and 21.0 for the eutrophicgroup, and percent body fat was 49.4 and 29.1, respectively (p<0.01-ANOVA). The daily calorie intake of theeutrophic adolescents consisted of 56.7% carbohydrates, 15.4% proteins and 27.9% lipids and the intake of theoverweight group was 52.7%, 17.1% and 30.2%, respectively. In the eutrophic group, 28.6% were considered to bevery active and 60.3% active and in the overweight group these values were 23.5% and 70.6%, respectively.CONCLUSIONS: Information about the eating and physical activity habits of adolescents is of fundamentalimportance for subsidizing individual and community actions. Although adolescents report apparently adequatephysical activity and calorie consumption, health professional should be aware of the high rates of overweight andobesity detected in this age range.