Abstract
This study aimed to identify health behaviours that determine adolescent's adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) through a decision tree statistical approach. Cross-sectional study, with data collected through a self-fulfilment questionnaire with five sections: (1) eating habits; (2) adherence to the MD (KIDMED index); (3) physical activity; (4) health habits and (5) socio-demographic characteristics. Anthropometric and blood pressure data were collected by a trained research team. The Automatic Chi-square Interaction Detection (CHAID) method was used to identify health behaviours that contribute to a better adherence to the MD. Eight public secondary schools, in Algarve, Portugal. Adolescents with ages between 15 and 19 years (n 325). According to the KIDMED index, we found a low adherence to MD in 9·0 % of the participants, an intermediate adherence in 45·5 % and a high adherence in 45·5 %. Participants that regularly have breakfast, eat vegetable soup, have a second piece of fruit/d, eat fresh or cooked vegetables 1 or more times a day, eat oleaginous fruits at least 2 to 3 times a week, and practice sports and leisure physical activities outside school show higher adherence to the MD (P < 0·001). The daily intake of two pieces of fruit and vegetables proved to be a determinant health behaviour for high adherence to MD. Strategies to promote the intake of these foods among adolescents must be developed and implemented.
Highlights
This study aims to identify which health behaviours contribute to a higher adherence to MD and provide a framework for the development of food education interventions aimed at adolescents through decision-making processes using classification trees
The consumption of nuts and fresh or cooked vegetables was associated with a high adherence to the MD
Through the decision tree methodology, the daily consumption of two portions of fruit and vegetables proved to be the best determinant for high adherence to the MD
Summary
Sampling and participants This study focused on tenth-grade students, recruited through a randomised, multi-stage, stratified sample of schools, constructed from a sampling frame comprising all secondary schools in the region of the Algarve, Portugal. After following the procedures proposed by Fleiss et al[37] for calculating minimum sample size, with 90 % power and 0·05 statistical significance, and considering official data provided by the Regional Directorate of Education regarding the number of registered tenth-grade students in the Algarve, we selected, in the first stage, a random sample of eight schools, stratified by their type – science or humanities curriculum schools and technological-professional schools; in the second stage, we randomly selected fourteen classes from science or humanities curriculum and nine classes from technologicalprofessional schools All students from these classes were invited to be a part of the study and a formal, written consent, was sent to their legal guardians.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 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 callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
