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Overweight in school-aged children and its relationship with demographic and lifestyle factors: results from the WHO-Collaborative Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Study

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International Journal of Public Health

Abstract

Objectives:

To examine overweight prevalence and its association with demographic and lifestyle factors in 11–15 year olds in the HBSC 2005–2006 survey.

Methods:

Self-reports of height, weight, eating patterns, physical activity and sedentary behaviours were obtained from nationally representative samples in 41 countries (n=204,534).

Results:

Overweight prevalence was highest in USA (28.8 %) and lowest in Latvia (7.6 %). In most countries, overweight was more prevalent in boys than girls. Overweight was consistently negatively associated with breakfast consumption and moderate to vigorous physical activity; OR range: 0.48–0.79 and 0.50–0.78, respectively.

Conclusion:

Overweight prevalence in youth remained high across the countries examined. The primary factors linked to overweight were breakfast consumption and physical activity. These data should contribute to formulating preventive programs and policies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Centre for Health Promotion, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

    Ellen Haug, Oddrun Samdal & Ole Melkevik

  2. Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Mette Rasmussen

  3. Prevention Research Branch, Division of Epidemiology, Statistics and Prevention Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, U.S.A

    Ron Iannotti

  4. Health Promotion Research Centre, Department of Health Promotion, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland

    Colette Kelly

  5. Department of Public Health, University of Turin, Turin, Italy

    Alberto Borraccino

  6. FWO-Flanders, Department of Public Health, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

    Carine Vereecken

  7. Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Siena, Siena, Italy

    Giacomo Lazzeri & Mariano Giacchi

  8. Department of Pediatrics, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Oya Ercan

  9. National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark

    Pernille Due

  10. Center for Obstetrics and Pediatrics, Department of Psychosomatics in Children and Adolescents, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany

    Ulrike Ravens-Sieberer

  11. Child and Adolescent Health Research Unit (CAHRU), The Moray House School of Education, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland

    Candace Currie

  12. Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden

    Antony Morgan

  13. INSERM U558, Epidemiology & Public Health Analyses, Faculté de Médicine, Paul Sabatier University, 37, allées Jules Guesde, TSA 70034, 31073, Toulouse Cedex, France

    Namanjeet Ahluwalia

Authors
  1. Ellen Haug
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  2. Mette Rasmussen
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  3. Oddrun Samdal
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  4. Ron Iannotti
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  5. Colette Kelly
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  6. Alberto Borraccino
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  7. Carine Vereecken
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  8. Ole Melkevik
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  9. Giacomo Lazzeri
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  10. Mariano Giacchi
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  11. Oya Ercan
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  12. Pernille Due
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  13. Ulrike Ravens-Sieberer
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  14. Candace Currie
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  15. Antony Morgan
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  16. Namanjeet Ahluwalia
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Consortia

the HBSC Obesity Writing Group

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Namanjeet Ahluwalia.

Additional information

Members of the HBSC Obesity Writing Group: Namanjeet Ahluwalia (FR) (Coordinator), Lea Maes (BE-Fl), Carine Vereecken (BE-Fl), Anne Hublet (BE-Fl), Ian Janssen (CA), John Freeman (CA), František David Krch (CZ), Pernille Due (DK), Mette Rasmussen (DK), Mogens Trab Damsgaard (DK), Bjørn Holstein (DK), Katrin Aasvee (EE), Raili Valimaa (FI), Emmanuelle Godeau (FR), Ulrike Ravens-Sieberer (DE), Veronika Ottova (DE), Anna Kokkevi (GR), Anastasios Fotiou (GR), Birgit Niclasen (GL), Agnes Nemeth (HU), Kjartan Unak (IS), Franco Cavallo (IT), Paola Dalmasso (IT), Alberto Borraccino (IT), Stefania Rossi (IT), Mariano Giacchi (IT), Giacomo Lazzeri (IT), Daniela Baldassari (IT), Colette Kelly (IE), Tom ter Bogt (NL), Torbjoern Torsheim (NO), Ole Melkevik (NO), Ellen Haug (NO), Hanna Kololo (PL), Izabela Tabak (PL), Candace Currie (GB-SCO), Jo Inchley (GB-SCO), Oya Ercan (TR), Tonja Nansel (US)

Submitted: 18 September 2008; revised 04 May 2009; accepted 04 June 2009

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Haug, E., Rasmussen, M., Samdal, O. et al. Overweight in school-aged children and its relationship with demographic and lifestyle factors: results from the WHO-Collaborative Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Study. Int J Public Health 54 (Suppl 2), 167–179 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-009-5408-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-009-5408-6

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