Background: Considering that obesity is characterized today as a public health challenge and an epidemic in many countries in the world and that one of the main predictors for obesity is socio-economic status (SES), the aim of this paper was to assess the relationship between the SES of parents/guardians and female adolescent obesity in Montenegro. Methods: A stratified random probability sample method was used, and the number of participants in this study was 596, aged 15.8 ± 0.58, from all three regions in Montenegro. As SES was a factor in this research, specific SES parameters such as household wealth and parental educational level were collected for parent/guardian of each child. The following anthropometric indices were utilized to evaluate nutritional status: body mass index (BMI) and waist to height ratio (WHtR). Results: Regarding nutritional status, it can be said that no statistically significant difference between female adolescents according to the regions of Montenegro was found. Of all the adolescents in the study, 15.4% of them were above the normal nutrition level as measured by BMI, while 12.2% were classified as obese by the WHtR. Furthermore, the study found a significant negative relationship between a mother’s level of education and obesity in female adolescents, with odds ratios of 0.31 (p = 0.035) and 0.19 (p = 0.009) for secondary and high level education, respectively. This suggests that daughters of mothers with higher levels of education are less likely to be obese. Conclusions: In regard to the nutritional status of the respondents in this study, their values fell within the normal range compared to the European average. However, the results regarding the relationship between certain SES characteristics and obesity suggest a similarity to developed countries.
The nutritional status and the level of physical activity are very important components in the period of adolescence, and they can vary by type of settlement. Consequently, the aim of this research is to assess the differences in nutritional status and the level of physical activity among adolescents by type of settlement. This research includes 241 adolescents of both sexes in the territory of the municipality of Niksic, with a mean age of 15.7±0.5. The variables BMI, WHtR, and BF% were used to assess the nutritional status, while the PAQ-C questionnaire was used to assess the level of physical activity. Differences in the nutritional status by type of settlement were assessed using the Chi-square test with a statistical significance p≤0.05, while the differences in the level of physical activity were assessed using the T-test with a statistical significance p≤0.05. Statistical analysis was accomplished by SPSS 23.0 software. Results show, that for WHtR values, 11.1% of male and 18% of female adolescents were obese. Differences in nutritional status were not found by type of settlement. For values of physical activity, male adolescents had a score of 2.6±0.6, and female adolescents 2±0.6. Male adolescents didn't show differences in the level of physical activity by type of settlement, while female adolescents who lived in rural areas showed a lower level of physical activity during physical education lessons (p=0.031), short breaks (p=0.034), and lunchtime (p=0.013). It is necessary to raise awareness about the importance of nutritional status and level of physical activity in both urban and rural areas.
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