Anthropometric Characteristics and Physical Fitness in Rural and Urban 11- to 16-Year-Old Melanesian Adolescents: A Cross-sectional Study in New Caledonian Schools

Zongo, Paul; Frayon, Stéphane; Antoine‐Jonville, Sophie; Wattelez, Guillaume; Roux, Pierre-Yves Le; Hue, Olivier; Galy, Olivier

doi:10.1177/1010539517735414

Cited by 10 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…In general, it was observed that preschoolers in the urban environment had higher values in height and SRT (Figure 1 and Figure 2). These data coincided with studies of the Kenya and Caledonia populations [20,40], but not with previous research in Spain, where children from rural areas had higher anthropometric and physical condition values than those from the urban environment [22,23]. The abovementioned studies included ages of primary and secondary education.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Moreover, the environment of residence (rural versus urban) might also influence the level of physical fitness. Actually, there was information on the effect of the environment in different countries such as the United Kingdom [17], Taiwan [18], Kosovo [19], New Caledonia [20], Croatia [21], and Spain [22,23]. The size of the population in the place of residence might be associated with opportunities for access to sports facilities, occasions for physical activity, lifestyle, or eating habits [15,22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Effect of Place of Residence on Physical Fitness and Adherence to Mediterranean Diet in 3–5-Year-Old Girls and Boys: Urban vs. Rural

et al. 2018

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The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of place of residence on physical fitness and adherence to Mediterranean Diet (AMD) in 3–5-year-old children, i.e., whether those who live in urban areas differ than those in rural and whether any difference varied by age. Participants were 363 preschoolers (age 3–5 years old), who performed a series of anthropometric, physical fitness tests and measured their nutritional habits through a 16-item Mediterranean Diet (KIDMED) questionnaire. The main findings of the present study were that (a) boys had better performance in ball bouncing, Medicine Ball Throw Test (MBTT), 25 m sprint, Standing Broad Jump (SBJ), crawling, and shuttle run test (SRT) than girls, and the magnitude of these differences was small; (b) preschoolers in urban residence were taller than those in rural and had better performance in SRT; (c) older preschoolers had larger anthropometric characteristics and better performance than younger preschoolers; (d) the magnitude of the effect of age was larger than the effect of residence; and (e) good AMD was more prevalent in boys than in girls and in 3-year-old participants than in their older peers, but was not related to place of residence. Therefore, these findings identified the need to develop exercise and nutrition intervention programs in preschoolers considering sex, age, and place of residence.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Place of Residence on Physical Fitness and Adherence to Mediterranean Diet in 3–5-Year-Old Girls and Boys: Urban vs. Rural

et al. 2018

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“…Substitution of traditional food energy sources with highly processed foods high in sugar, fat and salt are consistent with Western diets consumed in countries where obesity is epidemic. These dietary changes might explain the high percentage of overweight and obesity (38.1% for rural and 31.7% for urban adolescents) observed in this study and those of other studies [ 10 , 11 , 12 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

“…These combined lifestyle variables are the root cause (but not unique) of noncommunicable diseases, and the young Pacific population is extremely exposed. The prevalence of overweight and obesity is very high in New Caledonian adolescents (from 36% to 43%, depending on age and the reference used to assess overweight) [ 9 , 10 , 11 ], and this is particularly the case for Melanesians. Indeed, a recent study showed that the prevalence of overweight/obesity was higher in 11 to 16-year-old Melanesian and Polynesian adolescents than in Caucasian adolescents, respectively, 38.2%, 30.4% and 21.3% [ 12 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These changes may have contributed to the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Melanesian adolescents, especially those living in rural areas, although no study has yet investigated this hypothesis. Yet Melanesian girls from rural areas were found to be less physically active than their urban counterparts [ 10 ], and this may result in the higher prevalence of overweight and obesity as previously observed for body fat mass with 27.5% and 23.9% in rural and urban adolescents of similar age [ 10 ]. In addition, sleep behaviour is widely associated with overweight and obesity, and several associated factors, like the influence of media at home in the evening and school transport in isolated areas, impact sleep duration [ 23 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Living in Rural and Urban Areas of New Caledonia: Impact on Food Consumption, Sleep Duration and Anthropometric Parameters Among Melanesian Adolescents

et al. 2020

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Background: Food consumption, sleep duration and overweight were assessed in rural and urban Melanesian adolescents. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 312 rural and 104 urban adolescents (11–16 years old) was conducted. Food intakes were assessed by a 26-item food frequency questionnaire and then categorised into the number of serves from each of the three recommended Pacific food groups (energy foods, protective foods, bodybuilding foods), with two additional categories for foods and drinks to be avoided i.e., processed foods and sugary drinks. Number of food serves were compared with the guidelines of 50% serves from energy foods, 35% serves from protective foods and 15% serves from bodybuilding foods. Sleep duration as hours per day was self-reported and body mass index (BMI) was calculated from measured weight and height. Results: Approximately 17.9% of rural and 26.9% of urban adolescents met the guidelines for energy foods; 61.5% rural and 69.2% urban met the serves for protective foods and 88.5% and 94.2% met the serves for bodybuilding foods. Less than 6.4% rural and 1.9% urban adolescents avoided processed foods but 61.5% rural and 56.7% urban avoided sugary beverages. Sleep duration for school days was below the international recommendations and did not significantly differ between rural and urban groups: respectively, 8.16 ± 1.10 and 8.31 ± 1.29 h. Overweight/obesity percentage was 38.1% for rural and 31.7% for urban adolescents. Conclusions: Although traditional foods, including protective food, are still part of the adolescents’ diet, low consumption of the energy food group and high consumption of processed food occurs regardless of location. As poor eating habits and insufficient sleep may contribute to overweight/obesity, educational nutrition programs should target these lifestyle variables.

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Overweight in the pluri-ethnic adolescent population of New Caledonia: Dietary patterns, sleep duration and screen time

Frayon

Wattelez

Paufique

et al. 2020

The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific

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Background A high prevalence of overweight and obesity has been found in adolescents of New Caledonia and other Pacific Island Countries and Territories. Although Westernization may contribute to the weight gain in populations of Oceanian, Non-European, Non-Asian ancestry (ONENA), little is known about the sociodemographic and lifestyle factors associated with overweight in the Melanesian and Polynesian adolescents of New Caledonia. Methods In this cross-sectional study, a pluri-ethnic sample of New Caledonian adolescents (N = 954; age M = 13.2 years) completed a survey to estimate sleep duration, screen time, and dietary pattern using a food frequency questionnaire. Demographic data (gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status: SES, area of residence) were collected, and anthropometric measures were used to compute weight status. Findings We found a higher risk for being overweight in Melanesian (OR = 1.67) and Polynesian (OR = 5.40) adolescents compared with European adolescents, even after controlling for age, SES, area of residence, dietary pattern, sleep duration and screen time. We also found that low SES (OR = 3.43) and sleep duration (OR = 0.65 per hour) were independently associated with overweight status in the European but not in ONENA adolescents. Interpretation In this study, the main contribution to being overweight was ethnic background, i.e. being Melanesian or Polynesian. The hypothesis of a genetic influence thus seems attractive and merits further analyses. Funding This project was funded by the University of New Caledonia and the Fondation Nestlé France.

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Anthropometric Characteristics and Physical Fitness in Rural and Urban 11- to 16-Year-Old Melanesian Adolescents: A Cross-sectional Study in New Caledonian Schools

Cited by 10 publications

References 23 publications

The Effect of Place of Residence on Physical Fitness and Adherence to Mediterranean Diet in 3–5-Year-Old Girls and Boys: Urban vs. Rural

The Effect of Place of Residence on Physical Fitness and Adherence to Mediterranean Diet in 3–5-Year-Old Girls and Boys: Urban vs. Rural

Living in Rural and Urban Areas of New Caledonia: Impact on Food Consumption, Sleep Duration and Anthropometric Parameters Among Melanesian Adolescents

Overweight in the pluri-ethnic adolescent population of New Caledonia: Dietary patterns, sleep duration and screen time

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