Exploring the Association between Socioeconomic Environment, Eating Habits and Level of Nutrition in Children of High School Age: A Part of National Survey

TL;DR

This study examines how socioeconomic factors and eating habits affect obesity levels in Serbian high school students.

Contribution

The study provides new insights into obesity predictors among Serbian adolescents using national survey data.

Findings

Male gender, younger age, and being from the Vojvodina region were significant predictors of overweight in univariate analysis.

These associations were confirmed in multivariate models, highlighting key demographic and regional factors.

The study shows a high prevalence of obesity among high school youth in Serbia.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: One of the raising public health problems in the adolescent population is obesity, which has reached epidemic proportions worldwide. The aim of this work is to determine the prevalence of obesity in the population of children of secondary school, age 15 to 19 years in Serbia and the determinate connection with demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the respondents and their eating habits and physical activity. Methods: The research is part of the fourth National Population Health Survey conducted in 2019, which was conducted by the Republic Institute of Statistics, in cooperation with the Institute of Public Health of Serbia and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia. As a research instrument, questionnaires were used in accordance with the methodology of the European Health Survey. For the purposes of this research, data on the adult population aged 15–19 and over were used. Results: The association of overweight with demographic and socioeconomic characteristics was examined using binary regression. In the univariate model, male gender (OR = 1.95), younger age (OR = 1.57) and Region of Vojvodina (OR = 2.47) stood out as significant predictors of overweight, which was confirmed by the multivariate model. Conclusions: The results of our study emphasize that the prevalence of obesity in the population of high school youth is at a significant level and that a lot more needs to be done to promote healthy lifestyles and raise awareness of their benefits on health status.