Snacking patterns among adolescence is important as it is associated with energy and nutrient intakes and consequently body mass index (BMI). The aim of the study was to evaluate the snacking patterns and also to assess whether snacking frequency is associated with energy and nutrient intakes, as well as BMI among the adolescents. Body mass index was assessed by anthropometric measurement with height and weight measurement. The snacking patterns were evaluated with questionnaire while dietary data was collected by food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and one-day 24-hour diet recall. A total of 156 adolescents aged 13-15 years old from two secondary schools in Kuala Lumpur were involved in this study. Results showed that most respondents (48.7%) consumed snacks once a day. More than half (64.7%) of them reported having afternoon snack and the most common context for snacking were while watching television (59.6%). The most frequently consumed snacks included fruits, sweets, breads, milk, soft drinks and caffeinated beverages. The most common meal and snacking patterns in majority (23.1%) was composed of three main meals plus two snacks per day. There was significant difference between meal and snacking patterns and energy and macronutrients intakes (p<0.05). A total of 24.4% of daily energy intake came from snack consumption, while the energy contribution of protein, carbohydrate and fat intake from snacks were 18.7%, 26.6% and 23.7% of their daily energy intakes, respectively. More frequent snack intake contributes to higher energy intake. Moreover, the more frequent snack intake, the more carbohydrate intake from snack as compared to protein and fat intake. However, there was no significant association between snacking patterns and BMI. In conclusion, these findings indicated that snacking patterns was associated with energy and nutrient intakes but no association with BMI among the respondents.
Educational modules can be effective in educating and motivating adolescents to participate in physical activity (PA). This paper describes the development and validation of a PA educational module for use in an obesity intervention programme, CEria Respek Gigih Aktif Sihat (CERGAS). The present study was conducted in three phases: Phase I was composed of needs assessments with four focus group discussions to elicit adolescents’ opinions regarding module content and design, Phase II was the development of the PA module, while Phase III was content and face validation. A content validity index (CVI) was used to assess content validity quantitatively, with a CVI of more than 0.79 being considered appropriate. The needs assessments indicated that content of interest to adolescents included: the benefits of exercise; exercise techniques; ways to increase PA and how to stay motivated. Attractive graphic design was determined as a way to draw the adolescents’ attention. The module covered five topics: “Let’s Be Active”; “Exercise and Fitness”; “Staying Safe during Exercise and Physical Activity”; “Planning for Success” and “How to Overcome Sedentariness and Get Moving”. The module was found to have good content validity (mean CVI = 0.85). Expert members made suggestions to improve the module. These suggestions were then accepted, and the module was modified accordingly. We concluded that the module has good content validity and can be used to improve PA knowledge amongst CERGAS participants.
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