Weight status, dietary habits, physical activity, screen time and sleep duration among university students

2020 ◽  
pp. 026010602096086
Author(s):  
Souad Benaich ◽  
Slimane Mehdad ◽  
Zineb Andaloussi ◽  
Saber Boutayeb ◽  
Meryem Alamy ◽  
...  

Background: University life is a crucial period when dietary habits and lifestyle behaviours are formed and may have long-lasting effects on the development of obesity and related chronic diseases. Aim: To investigate the association of overweight/obesity with dietary habits, physical activity, screen time and sleep duration among university students. Methods: A total of 438 students aged 18–26 years were recruited from Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco. Anthropometric measurements were assessed using standardized equipment. Data regarding dietary habits, physical and sedentary activities were collected via a self-administered questionnaire. Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 14.8% and 1.6%, respectively. Students who reported frequent consumption (>3 times/week) of fast food, fried potatoes and sugary drinks were more likely to be overweight/obese than peers who did not. Similarly, odds of being overweight/obese were slightly higher among females who reported non-daily intake of fruits and milk or dairy products and among males who ate vegetables less frequently (<7 times/week). Approximately 26% of students were physically inactive, with a higher proportion of females (35.8%) than males (10.7%). Both short and long sleep durations were associated with an increased risk of overweight/obesity in males. In contrast, physical inactivity and increased screen time were associated with a slightly reduced risk of overweight/obesity, particularly in females. Conclusions: Overall, unhealthy dietary habits were associated with an increased risk of overweight/obesity. A similar trend was also observed between abnormal sleep duration and overweight/obesity in males. Interventions to promote healthy dietary and lifestyle habits and prevent overweight/obesity in this population are needed.

Author(s):  
Lijuan Lai ◽  
Ting Zhang ◽  
Xia Zeng ◽  
Weiqing Tan ◽  
Li Cai ◽  
...  

Childhood asthma and obesity have posed a parallel epidemic over the past few decades. However, whether asthma diagnosis is associated with obesity, and what the roles of lifestyle factors play in this relationship, remained unclarified. This study aimed to investigate the association between asthma and weight status in Chinese children and explore the potential mediating and/or modifying roles of lifestyle factors in the association. In this cross-sectional study, 16,837 children aged 6–12 years were recruited from Guangzhou, China. Participants’ information on physician-diagnosed asthma was collected from parents, and data on physical activity, screen time, and sleeping were reported in a validated questionnaire. Height and weight were objectively measured, and weight status was classified by body mass index (BMI). Multiple logistic regression analysis and mediation analysis were used. Results showed that asthmatic children were at significantly higher risk of obesity (odds ratio (OR) 1.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03, 2.21) compared with non-asthmatic children. More importantly, this increased risk was even greater in children with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity <60 min/d and children with screen time >2 h/d (both Pinteraction < 0.05). Also, a positive relationship of asthma with overweight was found in children with screen time >2 h/d (OR 3.92, 95% CI 1.56, 9.88), while a negative association was observed between asthma and underweight in children aged 9–12 years (OR 0.23, 95% CI 0.06, 0.92). Mediation analysis indicated that these associations were not mediated by physical activity, screen time, or sleeping. The findings suggested that physician-diagnosed asthma was associated with higher risks of overweight and obesity, and these risks might be exacerbated by insufficient physical activity and prolonged screen time.


Author(s):  
Hyunshik Kim ◽  
Jiameng Ma ◽  
Kenji Harada ◽  
Sunkyoung Lee ◽  
Ying Gu

The interactions between movement behaviors (physical activity, screen time, and sleep) affect the health of preschool children. Therefore, we examined the status of adherence to combinations of 24-hour movement guidelines (24-h MG) in Japanese preschool children and determined the associations between overweight/obesity and adherence to these 24-h MG. This cross-sectional study was conducted with 421 children aged 3–5 years (216 boys and 199 girls) living in the northeastern region of Japan. To evaluate the 24-h MG, physical activity over one week was measured using a three-axis accelerometer. For screen time and sleep duration, a questionnaire survey was conducted. Children who failed to meet all the 24-h MG had a higher probability of overweight/obesity than those who met all the 24-h MG (odds ratio 1.139, 95% confidence interval: 1.009, 1.285). The percentage of adherence to the 24-h MG was 91.6% for physical activity, 82.5% for sleep duration, and 33.7% for screen time, and only 21.5% of the children adhered to all three areas of the guidelines. Our findings have important implications for developing public health policies and effective intervention programs for preschool children.


2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 1793-1800 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdeslam Hamrani ◽  
Slimane Mehdad ◽  
Khalid El Kari ◽  
Asmaa El Hamdouchi ◽  
Imane El Menchawy ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectiveThe study aimed to detail the lifestyle (physical activity and dietary habits) of Moroccan adolescents.DesignCross-sectional study undertaken in the framework of the ATLS (Arab Teens Lifestyle Study).SettingPhysical activity and dietary habits were determined using a validated questionnaire in public secondary schools.SubjectsA total of 669 adolescents aged 15·0–19·9 years were randomly recruited from Kenitra, Morocco.ResultsPhysical activity patterns and intensity differed between genders. As anticipated, male adolescents were more active than female adolescents across a typical week and engaged in more vigorous-intensity physical activity than female adolescents, who spent more time than male adolescents in moderate-intensity physical activity. Of particular concern was that one in five of the adolescents surveyed was inactive, with almost 45 % of the sample reporting television viewing for more than 2 h/d and 38 % engaged in computer use for a similar period. From a dietary perspective, most adolescents reported that they do not take breakfast or consume milk and dairy products, fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. In contrast, most reported consumption of doughnuts, cakes, candy and chocolate more than three times per week and approximately 50 % consumed sugary drinks more than three times per week.ConclusionsBased on a continuation of the self-reported lifestyle behaviours, adolescents in the present study are at risk of developing chronic diseases. Education programmes are urgently needed to assist in the promotion of a healthy lifestyle and reduce the likelihood of overweight and obesity and related health risks among young people.


Nutrients ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Rosi ◽  
Maria Calestani ◽  
Liborio Parrino ◽  
Giulia Milioli ◽  
Luigi Palla ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Shoo Thien Lee ◽  
Jyh Eiin Wong ◽  
Geraldine K. L. Chan ◽  
Bee Koon Poh

A daily balance of physical activities, sedentary behaviors and sleep are important for maintaining the health of young children. The aim of this study is to explore the association between 24-h movement behavior of Malaysian children aged 4 to 6 years with weight status. A total of 230 preschoolers were recruited from 22 kindergartens in Kuala Lumpur. Physical activity was assessed by Actical accelerometer while screen time and sleep duration were proxy-reported by parents. Children spent on average 5.5 ± 1.3 h on total physical activity (including 1.0 ± 0.4 h of moderate- vigorous physical activity), 3.0 ± 1.6 h on screen activities and 9.5 ± 1.3 h sleeping daily. The proportion of children who complied with physical activity and sleep guidelines were 48.7% and 55.2%, respectively. About 25.2% of children met screen time recommendation. Only 6.5% of children met all three age-specific physical activity, screen time and sleep guidelines. Children who met any two guidelines were less likely to be overweight or obesity compared to those who did not meet any of the guidelines (OR: 0.276; 95% CI: 0.080–0.950). In conclusion, Malaysian preschoolers have low compliance to movement behavior guidelines, especially in meeting screen time recommendations. Compliance to movement behavior guidelines was associated with lower odds of overweight and obesity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Devendra Raj Singh ◽  
Dev Ram Sunuwar ◽  
Babita Dahal ◽  
Rajeeb Kumar Sah

Abstract Background Overweight/obesity among adolescents is an emerging public health issue worldwide. However, the evidence on the determinants of body weight status and lifestyle behaviors among Nepalese adolescents is limited. This study aims to explore the sleep characteristics, dietary habits, and physical activity and its association with body mass index (BMI) among Nepalese adolescents. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted between July and November 2019 among 627 randomly selected adolescents from eight schools located in Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Nepal. A self-administrated structure questionnaire was used to collect the data. Anthropometric measurements (adolescent’s BMI), sleep characteristics, dietary habits, and physical activity were assessed using validated tools. Multinomial logistic regression analyses assessed the association between covariates and BMI categories. The statistical significance was considered at p-value < 0.05 and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results The overall prevalence of underweight and overweight/obesity among adolescents was 9.1% (95% CI: 7.1–11.6) and 23.7% (95% CI: 20.6–27.7) respectively. In multinomial logistic regression, adolescents who reported sleep problem compared to those with no such problem (Relative risk ratio (RRR) = 13.37, 95% CI: 7.14–25.05), adolescents who had obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) symptoms (RRR = 3.21, 95% CI:1.31–7.86), who consumed soft drink ≥1 time/day in past 1 months (RRR = 5.44, 95% CI: 2.93–10.10), consumed high-fat dietary ≥2 times/day (RRR = 2.17, 95% CI: 1.18–3.99), and had a habit of junk food consumptions (RRR = 5.71, 95% CI:2.55–12.82), adolescents who had 5–6 h/day sedentary behavior (RRR = 3.21, 95% CI: 1.14–9.09), adolescents from Terai/Madhesi castes (RRR = 2.81, 95% CI: 1.19–6.64) and adolescents whose father was employed (RRR = 2.04, 95% CI: 1.04–3.98) were at increased risk of being overweight/obesity. In contrast, adolescents aged 14–16 years had 71% lower (RRR = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.16–0.52), and adolescents who consumed less than five food groups had 45% lower (RRR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.31–0.97) risk of being overweight/obesity compared to 12–14 years age groups and consumed more than five food groups respectively. Conclusions The findings of this study warrant immediate interventions to improve the lifestyle to reduce overweight/obesity among Nepalese adolescents. Creating a conducive environment, both at school and home is essential to encourage adolescents for the adoption of healthy lifestyle behaviors.


Author(s):  
Shailesh Regmi ◽  
Jagannath P.

Background: The global epidemic of overweight/obesity – termed “globesity” is a major public health problem where rates of obesity have tripled in developing countries over the last 20 years. Factors like studying in private schools, consumption of unhealthy diet, insufficient physical activity and shortened night-time sleep duration are shown to be related with overweight and obesity. Hence, this study aims to assess the prevalence of overweight/obesity and the relationship of BMI with the socio-demographic and lifestyle factors.Methods: A school based descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 participants chosen randomly from grade 11 and 12. Measurements of height and weight were taken to calculate BMI and primary data about determinants of obesity was collected through semi structured questionnaire. The data was entered and analyzed using SPSS 16v.Results: Prevalence of overweight and obesity was 4.25% and 2.25% respectively. Consumption of fast food and sugary drinks was found among 99% and 95% of the respondents respectively. Higher screening time for TV/Computer, shortened sleep duration and reduced physical activity led to higher prevalence of overweight/obesity. Factors like type of school [esp. private school, (p=0.019, 95% CI)], type of family (p=0.039, 95% CI), occupation of mother (p=0.019, 95% CI) were statistically significant with BMI.Conclusions: Apart from under-nutrition problem, there exists increasing trend of over-nutrition among higher secondary students in Tulsipur Municipality, Nepal. The shift of under-nutrition problem to over-nutrition says we need to rethink about the consequences of over-nutrition.


2004 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 209-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joey C. Eisenmann ◽  
R. Todd Bartee ◽  
Krystal D. Damori

Purpose:The purposes of this study were (a) to describe the prevalence of participation in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and overweight and obesity, and (b) to examine the associations between physical activity and weight status in a sample of university students from a rural university.Methods:Data from a representative sample of 773 (361 women, 412 men) students participating in the National College Health Assessment Survey were examined. MVPA and height and body mass were self-reported. The body-mass index (BMI) was derived and used to classify subjects as normal, overweight, or obese.Results:Approximately 20% of students were inactive (0 d/wk), and 23% met the recommended amount of MVPA (≥5 d/wk). Prevalence of overweight and obesity was, respectively, 35.7% and 8.5% in men and, respectively, 15.6% and 8.2% in women. Analysis of variance revealed the mean BMI was not significantly different across levels of MVPA. Odds ratios showed higher levels of MVPA were significantly associated with lower risk of obesity in men but not women.Conclusion:A large percentage of subjects are inactive or insufficiently active, and self-reported moderate to vigorous physical activity is significantly related to risk of obesity in men. Future studies should measure habitual physical activity or energy expenditure and body composition. Additional factors affecting obesity, such as television viewing and other sedentary behaviors, dietary intake, and heritability, should also be considered.


2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 408-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eimear Keane ◽  
Xia Li ◽  
Janas M. Harrington ◽  
Anthony P. Fitzgerald ◽  
Ivan J. Perry ◽  
...  

Purpose:Globally, public health policies are targeting modifiable lifestyle behaviors. We explore the independent association of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behavior on the risk of childhood overweight/obesity.Method:A cross-sectional survey of children aged 8–11 years (N = 826). Objective body mass index was used to classify children as normal weight or overweight/obese. Children wore wrist-worn Geneactiv accelerometers for 7-days and thresholds were applied to categorize MVPA and sedentary time. Screen time (ST) was parent reported. Poisson regression examined the independent association of (1) MVPA (2), objective sedentary time and (3) ST on the risk of overweight/obesity.Results:Overall, 23.7% (95% CI, 20.8–26.6%) of children were overweight/obese. On average, children spent 10.8% of waking time at MVPA and 61.3% sedentary. One-fifth (22.1%, 95% CI, 19.3–25.0%) of children achieved MVPA recommendations (≥ 60 min each day) and 17.5% (95% CI, 14.9–20.1%) met ST recommendations (<2 hr per day). Time spent at MVPA was inversely associated with the risk of overweight/obese independent of total sedentary time. Total time spent sedentary was not associated with overweight/obese independent of MVPA. ST was associated with an increased risk of overweight/obese independent of physical activity.Conclusion:Few schoolchildren met physical activity and screen time recommendations suggesting population based measures are needed.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document