Eating Habits and Weight Status in Finnish Adolescents

Overview

Journal Public Health Nutr

Publisher Cambridge University Press

Date 2019 Jun 22

PMID 31221237

Citations 7

Authors

Jannina Viljakainen

Rejane Augusta de Oliveira Figueiredo

Heli Viljakainen

Eva Roos

Elisabete Weiderpass

Trine B Rounge

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the association between eating habits and weight status in adolescents in Finland.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: The Finnish Health in Teens (Fin-HIT) study is a cohort study conducted in adolescents attending third to sixth grade in 496 schools in forty-four municipalities in Southern, Middle and Northern Finland in 2011-2014.

Participants: Analyses included 10 569 adolescents from the Fin-HIT study aged 9-14 years (5005 boys and 5564 girls). Adolescents were categorized by their eating habits: healthy eaters (44·1 %; n 4661), unhealthy eaters (12·3 %; n 1298), and fruit and vegetable avoiders (43·6 %; n 4610); and they were grouped into weight status: underweight (11·1 %), normal weight (73·6 %) and excess weight (15·3 %).

Results: We found an increased risk of underweight in fruit and vegetable avoiders (OR = 1·28; 95 % CI 1·12, 1·46). An irregular breakfast pattern showed an inverse association with underweight (OR = 0·70; 95 % CI 0·59, 0·84) and an increased risk of excess weight (OR = 1·56; 95 % CI 1·37, 1·77) compared with a regular breakfast pattern. An irregular dinner pattern was inversely associated with underweight (OR = 0·83; 95 % CI 0·69, 0·99) compared with a regular dinner pattern.

Conclusions: Avoiding fruits and vegetables and following irregular breakfast and dinner patterns were associated with underweight and excess weight in adolescents.

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