Objective: To examine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Polish adolescents in 2005 using both the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) cut-offs and a national reference; to compare this to data collected in 1995; and to assess whether there were differences in overweight or obesity by gender and place of residence in 1995-2005. Design: BMI was calculated from measured height and weight, collected in a cross-sectional study in five regions of Poland in 2005. Adolescents were categorised as normal, overweight or obese based on IOTF cut-off values, and by national weight for stature tables, where the 90th and 97th percentiles were used as cut-off values for overweight and obesity. Setting: Population-based study set in Poland. Subjects: A two-stage sampling method was used to recruit 8065 pupils (3980 boys and 4085 girls) aged 13-15 years. Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 12?5 % and 1?9 %, respectively. No significant gender differences were found, either in overweight or obesity. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in 2005 had increased 2 % compared to 1995. Overweight and obesity among adolescents were not related to urban-rural residence, but there were significant regional differences. Conclusions: Monitoring trends in overweight and obesity among adolescents in all regions of Poland using the same reference criteria is important. Since regional differences in overweight and obesity rates among adolescents were observed both in 1995 and 2005, future research should investigate the potential causes of these differences. KeywordsObesity Overweight Adolescents Gender Regional differences Puberty constitutes a critical period of life when adolescents are particularly prone to development of obesity (1,2) . Several studies have suggested that up to 80 % of overweight adolescents will become obese adults (3,4) . Thus, the incidence of overweight and obesity among adolescents is of public health concern and should be closely monitored.A study carried out in Poland in 1995 on a population of two million schoolchildren and adolescents aged 6-17 years in almost all regions of Poland revealed gender and regional differences (5) . The present study population was divided into five age groups: 6-7, 9-10, 14-15 and 16-17 years. There were 439 262 adolescents in the age group of 14-15 years. School nurses measured their height and weight. The national charts of weight for stature for boys and girls were used. Pupils above the 90th percentile were identified as overweight and those above the 97th percentile as obese (5) .In the age group of 14-15 years, the prevalence of overweight (including obesity) was 8?9 % for the whole sample, 7?8 % for boys and 9?9 % for girls (P , 0?001). The prevalence of obesity was 3?8 %; 3?5 % for boys and 4?1 % for girls (P , 0?001). The prevalence of overweight and obesity in the whole study population (all age groups) was higher in urban (9?4 %) than in rural areas (7?1 %; P , 0?001). The highest overweight rate was reported in the Podlaskie region ...
Very little is known about how multicomponent interventions directed to entire populations work in selected groups of adolescents. The aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Healthy Me one-year program on changes in healthy eating and physical activity among overweight and non-overweight female students. Randomization involved the allocation of full, partial or null intervention. The randomized field trial was implemented in 48 secondary schools (clusters) all over Poland among 1198 15-year-old girls. In this study, a sample of N = 1111 girls who participated in each evaluation study was analyzed. Using multimedia technologies, efforts were made to improve health behaviors and increase self-efficacy. The main outcome was a health behavior index (HBI), built on the basis of six nutritional indicators and one related to physical activity. HBI was analyzed before and immediately after intervention and at three months’ follow-up, and the HBI change was modeled. Statistical analysis included nonparametric tests and generalized linear models with two-way interactions. Comparing the first and third surveys, in the overweight girls, the HBI index improved by 0.348 (SD = 3.17), while in the non-overweight girls it had worsened. After adjusting for other factors, a significant interaction between body weight status and level of self-efficacy as predictors of HBI changes was confirmed. The program turned out to be more beneficial for overweight girls.
Predictors of high-risk patterns of substance use are often analysed in relation to demographic and school-related factors. The interaction between these factors and the additional impact of family wealth are still new areas of research. The aim of this study was to find determinants of the most common patterns of psychoactive substance use in mid-adolescence, compared to non-users. A sample of 1202 Polish students (46.1% boys, mean age of 15.6 years) was surveyed in 2013/2014. Four patterns of psychoactive substance use were defined using cluster analysis: non-users—71.9%, mainly tobacco and alcohol users—13.7%, high alcohol and cannabis users—7.2%, poly-users—7.2%. The final model contained the main effects of gender and age, and one three-way (perceived academic achievement × gender × family affluence) interaction. Girls with poor perception of school performance (as compared to girls with better achievements) were at significantly higher risk of being poly-users, in both less and more affluent families (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 5.55 and OR = 3.60, respectively). The impact of family affluence was revealed only in interaction with other factors. Patterns of substance use in mid-adolescence are strongly related to perceived academic achievements, and these interact with selected socio-demographic factors.
Background An assumption was made that results of programme evaluation lead to better understanding for whom this intervention may work. The aim of the article is to compare the changes in physical activity of the intervention programme participants depending on subjective assessment of its impact. Methods The data were obtained from 14- to15-year-old Polish girls (N = 1120) from 48 random selected secondary schools participating in the 1-year Healthy Me programme in the 2017/2018. Schools were randomly assigned to one of two types of intervention or to a control (null) group. Satisfaction with the programme according to 21 criteria was measured retrospectively just after the intervention. Change in MVPA (moderate-to-vigorous physical activity) during the programme implementation was assessed in relation to satisfaction level, and adjusted for initial MVPA. Results In total, the MVPA did not change significantly comparing pre- and post-intervention surveys (3.94 ± 1.94 vs. 3.87 ± 1.93)—P = 0.093. However, the perceived notable improvement of functioning in 10 out of 21 areas was related to the unquestionable increase in MVPA (P ≤ 0.001). With respect to the four impact areas, an interaction was demonstrated between an intervention group and an improvement in the domain-specific functioning. The beneficial impact of the programme on these areas was associated with the improvement of physical activity only in case of full and null intervention. Conclusions Indicators related to the implementation process and the results obtained during the Healthy Me programme evaluation could represent a change in motivational and environmental factors that indirectly affects adolescent girl’s physical activity.
Introduction. Schools are important settings for the promotion of healthy diet and sufficient physical activity to prevent civilisation diseases related to lifestyle. Objective. To describe school physical activity and nutrition environment in elementary schools in Poland, and to asses differences in school physical activity and nutrition environments, depending on school location and size. Materials and method. Data was used from the World Health Organisation European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) conducted in 2016 in 135 Polish schools. Logistic regression was used to asses association between the location and individual school environment indicator. On the basis of answers to 20 questions about school physical activity and nutrition environment, a positive school environmental assessment index was compiled. Results. Large, urban schools were characterised by a significantly greater availability of sweet snacks, whereas flavoured milk with added sugar was more often available in small and rural schools. The univariate logistics analysis parameters showed that an urban-rural location had a significant association for the availability of an indoor gym and existence of a canteen and a shop. Analysing the positive schools environmental assessment index, there were no statistically significant differences in mean values due to location, but statistically significant differences were found depending on the school size, with the highest level in large schools and the lowest in small schools. Conclusions. The factor which adversely differentiates the school environment in terms of healthy nutrition and physical activity is primarily the school size, and then the school location. Systemic and social solutions should aim at reducing the small school "exclusion syndrome", both in rural and in urban areas, also with regard to infrastructure and availability of conditions conducive to healthy nutrition and physical activity.
Introduction Healthy Me (HM) interventional study was oriented on improvement of physical activity (PA) in 15-year old girls but also included component of eating habits, smoking prevention and personal competencies. Innovative elements of the project involved usage of fitness-band with continuous monitoring of PA and special dedicated smartphone apps. Purpose To assess the effectiveness of 1-year prophylactic intervention with the use of mobile technology in girls between 14 and 15 year of age, in relation to the level of their satisfaction with the program. Methods 1198 girls 14–15 years old from 48 randomly selected schools from all over Poland participated in the HM during 2017/2018 school year. Schools were randomized to full or partial intervention and control group, respectively 636, 277 and 285 girls. Questionnaire data from the beginning and the end of the HM regarding four factors (low PA, eating sweets, smoking and stress level) were analyzed. Mean changes (MC) calculated according to the definition given in table 1 were applied as outcome measure. Satisfaction with the program was assessed after 1 year of participation in the HM as low, average and high. General linear models with main effects were estimated and adjusted for initial level of each factor. Results At the beginning of the study 87% participants did not fulfill criteria for recommended PA, 9% smoked during last 30 days and 67% ate sweets more than ones per week. Mean stress level was 6.92±2.92 points. For the entire study group, the only significant change after 1 year intervention was lower frequency of eating sweets (p=0,007). However, the higher satisfaction with the study resulted in the significantly higher effectiveness of HM intervention (table 1). Mean changes in the analyzed factors Analyzed factor Range Mean change in entire group (SE) Mean change by level of satisfaction p1 p2 low (SE) average (SE) high (SE) Physical activity (MVPA) 0–7 days −0.076 (0.063) −0.396 (0.137) −0.147 (0.068) 0.261 (0.119) 0.001 0.068 Smoking-past 0 – never 0.039 (0.028) 0.270 (0.066) 0.034 (0.033) −0.004 (0.057) 0.002 0.067 6–30 days or more Eating sweets 0 – never −0.296 (0.045) −0.047 (0.101) −0.285 (0.050) −0.313 (0.086) 0.069 0.016 6 – every day more than once Stress Cohen scale 0–16 points 0.105 (0.090) 0.498 (0.211) 0.138 (0.105) −0.424 (0.183) 0.003 0.823 SE: standard error; MVPA: moderate to vigorous physical activity; p1: main effect of the level of satisfaction; p2: main effect of the intervention group. Conclusion Program that was dedicated for improvement of PA in teenage girls could also profitably influence other factors related to health behaviours and stress level in this group but intervention must be perceived by participants as rewarding. It seems, that attractiveness of interventional program design, increased by mobile technologies, is key for its effectiveness for teens. Acknowledgement/Funding National Health Program, Ministry of Health
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.