BackgroundObesity is an important public health issue and its prevalence is reaching epidemic proportions in both developed and developing countries. The aim of the present study was to determine associations of overweight (OW), obesity (OB) and abdominal obesity (AO) with marital status and educational level in Greek adults of both genders based on data from the National Epidemiological Survey on the prevalence of obesity.MethodsThe selection was conducted by stratified sampling through household family members of Greek children attending school during 2003. A total of 17,341 Greek men and women aged from 20 to 70 years participated in the survey and had anthropometric measurements (height, weight, and waist circumference) for the calculation of prevalence of OW, OB and AO. WHO cut-offs were used to define overweight and obesity categories. Waist circumference of more than 102 cm in men and 88 cm in women defined AO. Marital status and educational level were recorded using a specially designed questionnaire and were classified into 4 categories.ResultsThe overall prevalence of OB was 22.3% (25.8% in men, 18.4% in women), that of OW 35.2% (41.0% in men, 29.8% in women) and that of AO 26.4% in men and 35.9% in women. Ahigher risk of OB was found in married men (OR: 2.28; 95% CI: 1.85-2.81) and married women (OR: 2.31; 95% CI: 1.73-3.10) than in the respective unmarried ones. Also, a higher risk of AO was found in married men (OR: 3.40; 95% CI: 2.86-4.03) and in married women (OR: 2.40; 95% CI 2.00-2.88) compared to unmarried ones. The risk for being obese was lower among educated women (primary school, OR: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.60-0.96, high school, OR: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.46-0.74 and University, OR: 0.64; 95% CI: 0.49-0.81) than among illiterates. No significant differences were found among men.ConclusionsIn Greek adults, marital status was significantly associated with obesity and abdominal obesity status in both genders while educational level was inversely associated with obesity status only in women.

Compensatory Green Beliefs (CGBs) refer to beliefs that the negative effects of energy-inefficient or unsustainable behaviors (e.g., flying abroad on holiday) can be compensated for by engaging in energy-efficient or sustainable practices (e.g., using public transport). The present research developed and validated a scale to measure endorsement of CGBs. This scale formed part of an online survey, which investigated the relationship between endorsement of CGBs and how people think and behave in relation to energy and environmental issues. Factor analysis confirmed the reliability of a 16-item, single-factor scale measuring CGBs. Endorsement of CGBs was found to correlate negatively with measures of proecological behavior, environmental values, “green” identity, concern with climate change, age, and education level. These findings offer an insight into the possible cognitive antecedents of “rebound effects” that are known to limit the effectiveness of interventions designed to reduce energy consumption and promote sustainable behavior.

Objective: The increasing prevalence of obesity worldwide is a major health concern. Our study, which is part of the First National Epidemiological Study of Obesity in Greece, aimed to assess (i) breakfast habits and their relationship to BMI in Greek adolescents, as well as (ii) breakfast skipping in relation to other health behaviours. Design: Epidemiological survey throughout Greece. Participants completed a questionnaire concerning breakfast habits and many lifestyle parameters. Setting: The survey was conducted in schools throughout Greece. Subjects: Anthropometric measurements were performed on 6500 boys and 7778 girls, aged 13-19 years, from schools throughout Greece. Results: Among both boys and girls, breakfast consumers had a lower BMI than breakfast skippers. Moreover, breakfast skippers among both boys and girls were found to smoke more than breakfast consumers. The proportion of boys and girls who ate breakfast was found to be greater among those who had never been on a diet than among those who had already experienced dieting. Leisure-time activity was greater in breakfast consumers than breakfast skippers; among boys, 71?8 % of breakfast consumers walked compared with 66?4 % of breakfast skippers, whereas 38?4 % and 35?0 %, respectively, exercised. Among girls, these percentages were 73?1 % v. 68?7 % for walking and 36?7 % v. 31?5 % for exercising. Conclusions: We found that breakfast skipping can be part of a constellation of several unhealthy lifestyle parameters and is related to higher BMI in Greek adolescents.

1Compensatory health beliefs (CHBs) -beliefs that an unhealthy behaviour can be 2 compensated for by healthy behaviour -are hypothesised to be activated automatically 3 to help people resolve conflicts between their desires (e.g. eat chocolate) and their long-4 term goals (e.g. dieting). The aim of the present research was to investigate diet-5 specific CHBs within the context of a theoretical framework, the Health Action Process 6 Approach (HAPA), to examine the extent to which diet-specific CHBs contribute to 7 dieting intentions and dietary intake. Seventy five dieting women were recruited in 8Switzerland and England and were asked to complete measures of diet-specific CHBs, 9 risk perception, outcome expectancies, self-efficacy, intention, and behaviour. Path 10 modelling showed that, overall, diet-specific CHBs were not related to dieting 11 intentions (ß = .10) or behaviour (ß = .06) over and above variables specified in the 12 HAPA. However, risk perception moderated the relationship between diet-specific 13CHBs and intention (ß = .26). Diet-specific CHBs positively predicted intention in 14 women with high risk perception, but not in women with low risk perception. This 15 positive relationship might be explained by the assumption that CHBs play different 16 roles at different stages of the health-behaviour change process. Future studies should 17 further examine moderators and stage-specific differences of the associations between 18CHBs, intention and health-behaviour change. 19 20

Compensatory green beliefs (CGBs) reflect the idea that a pro-environmental behavior (e.g., recycling) can off-set the negative effects of an environmentally detrimental behavior (e.g., driving). It is thought that CGBs might help explain why people act in ways that appear to contradict their pro-environmental intentions, and inconsistently engage in pro-environmental behaviors. The present study sought to investigate the nature and use of CGBs. A series of interviews suggested that participants endorsed CGBs to (a) reduce feelings of guilt with respect to (the assumed or actual) negative environmental impact of their actions and (b) defend their green credentials in social situations. Participants also justified detrimental behaviors on the basis of higher loyalties (e.g., family’s needs), or the perceived difficulty of performing more pro-environmental actions. In addition to shedding light on how, when, and why people might hold and use CGBs, the research also provides new insight into how CGBs should be assessed.