Determinants of Body Mass Index Among Vocational College Adolescents

TL;DR

This study examines how diet and other factors affect body weight in vocational college students, finding links between food choices and weight issues.

Contribution

The study identifies specific dietary patterns associated with underweight and overweight among vocational college adolescents.

Findings

16% of boys and 15% of girls were underweight, while 11.2% and 13.7% were overweight, respectively.

Overweight/obese students consumed more brown bread, dairy, and eggs compared to normal weight peers.

Overweight girls had higher meat and potato consumption.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of deviations from normal body weight among students of secondary vocational educational institutions and their association with dietary and nondietary factors. The transition from adolescence to adulthood is a unique period during which lifelong eating habits are formed. The study involved 401 boys and 408 girls aged 15–17 years. Height and weight were measured; a questionnaire on diet, meal frequency, and portion size was completed to assess the set of consumed products, nutritional value of the diet, physical activity level, and smoking status. Descriptive statistics, Student′s t‐test, Mann–Whitney test, and multiple linear regression were used. The prevalence of underweight was 16% among boys and 15% among girls; the prevalence of overweight was 11.2% and 13.7%, and the prevalence of obesity was 4.2% and 5.1%, respectively. Overweight/obese young adults had higher median consumption of brown bread, dairy products, and eggs compared with normal weight young adults. Overweight girls ate more meat and potatoes. Our results add to the literature linking the prevalence of underweight among adolescents to dietary and nondietary factors. Our results suggest that improving nutrition among students may reduce the risk of chronic diseases in the future.

Figures