What factors are associated with excess body weight in Australian secondary school students?

Publisher: Australasian Medical Publishing Co Country of Publication: Australia NLM ID: 0400714 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1326-5377 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 0025729X NLM ISO Abbreviation: Med J Aust Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: : Pyrmont, NSW : Australasian Medical Publishing Co.
Original Publication: Sydney : Australasian Medical Pub. Co.

Students*; Obesity/*epidemiology ; Overweight/*epidemiology; Adolescent ; Australia/epidemiology ; Child ; Computers ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diet Surveys ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Motor Activity ; Sex Distribution ; Sleep ; Social Class ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Television ; Video Games

Objectives: To examine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Australian secondary school students and identify factors associated with excess adiposity.
Design, Setting and Participants: Cross-sectional survey of students aged 12-17 years (in school years 8-11) who completed the National Secondary Students' Diet and Activity survey in 2009-10, which included a web-based self-report questionnaire and height and weight measurements.
Main Outcome Measures: Overweight and obesity based on international standard body mass index (BMI) cut-offs for children and adolescents.
Results: Data were analysed for 12 188 students. Just under one in four students were either overweight (18%) or obese (5%). After adjusting for demographic and health-behaviour characteristics, males were more likely than females to be overweight or obese (OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.07-1.40; P = 0.004), as were both low (OR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.40-1.99; P < 0.001) and medium (OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.14-1.55; P < 0.001) socioeconomic position (SEP) students compared with high SEP students. Students engaging in low levels of physical activity (OR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.08-1.36; P = 0.001), more time in small-screen recreation (OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.05-1.32; P = 0.005), and short sleep duration (OR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.05-1.41; P = 0.008) also had higher odds of being overweight or obese.
Conclusions: There is a need for interventions to reduce overweight and obesity during adolescence. Preventive measures should include a focus on facilitating physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviour, as well as promoting adequate sleep, particularly among young people from lower SEP neighbourhoods who appear to be most susceptible.

Investigator: B Morley; M Scully; M Wakefield; L Baur; A Okely; I Pratt; J Bowen; J Salmon; V Flood; D Crawford; A Worsley

Date Created: 20120221 Date Completed: 20120427 Latest Revision: 20190902

20221213

10.5694/mja11.11184

22339525