Patterns of Avoiding Nutrition Mistakes in Metropolitan Adolescents Are Associated with Sex, Nutrition Knowledge, Physical Activity, and Family Environment

Abstract

A comprehensive approach to the identification of the relationship between behaviors limiting nutrition mistakes, nutrition knowledge, and physical activity in the context of the family environment has not yet been widely explored. We aim to identify patterns of avoiding nutrition mistakes in high school students from Warsaw, Poland, and to assess their associations with nutrition knowledge (NK), physical activity (PA), body mass index (BMI), demographic, and family environment characteristics. A cross-sectional study involving 616 high school students, aged 16–19, was conducted. The data were collected by distributing questionnaires. The k-means method was used for cluster analysis, and logistic regression was used to assess the adherence to identified patterns. We identified three patterns: Prudent Ones (45%), Inconsequent (39%), and Rebels (16%). About 70% of adolescents had insufficient NK. The adherence to the Rebels pattern was lower by 85 % in girls, by 68% in students with younger siblings, and was about 4.0-times higher in children of mothers with primary education, 2.4 times higher in students with insufficient NK, and 1.9-times higher in students living in a family with more than 4 persons. The groups of adolescents with feature characteristics of the Rebels and Inconsequent are possible targets for intervention and require further in-depth research to explain their lack of attempts to avoid nutrition mistakes. The results clearly indicate the necessity of including metropolitan teenage boys in effective nutritional education for the rationalization of their dietary behavior.

Nutritional Behaviors, Health Literacy, and Health Locus of Control of Secondary Schoolers in Southern Poland: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…The results of recent studies performed among adolescents in Poland confirm only some of our study's findings. Drywie ń et al reported that among Polish metropolitan adolescents, favorable nutrition patterns occurred more frequently among girls, among those with siblings, and among respondents with insufficient rather than sufficient nutrition knowledge [62]. In this study group, similarly to adolescents from southern Poland, mother's education and household size were not significant predictors of nutrition patterns.…”

Eating Habits and Disease Risk Factors

“…Considering the development of eating habits, it is essential to pay attention to the behaviours of children and adolescents in relation to nutrition to avoid developing and repeating inappropriate patterns in adulthood. In one of the papers presented [ 1 ], adolescents’ behavioural eating patterns were identified as “Prudent Ones” when they had knowledge about healthy eating and followed the recommendation, “Inconsequent” when follow recommendation partially, and “Rebels” when adolescents follow an unhealthy diet and eating behaviours. In this work, it was found that those more likely to follow healthy eating patterns and behaviours were students of female sex, with no siblings, better nutrition knowledge, and greater physical activity in leisure time.…”

“…The adherence to the “Rebels” was observed in those of male sex, students with families larger than four people, whose mothers were in primary education and who had insufficient nutrition knowledge. However, none of the patterns were associated with BMI [ 1 ].…”

Features of Nutrition of Adolescents in the Twenties of the Xxi Century as a Health Risk Factor

“…А факторами, способствующими здоровому питанию, были знания и образование в области питания, планирование питания, участие в приготовлении пищи и физическая активность. Пищевое поведение родителей и социальное давление друзей оказывают как положительное, так и отрицательное влияние на индивидуальные пищевые привычки студентов американских колледжей [10].…”

“…Среди факторов, влияющих на формирование привычек питания у молодёжи, называются уровень образования матери, размер семьи, включая наличие братьев и сестёр, гендерный аспект. Более рациональное питание отмечается у подростков-девочек и у учащихся с младшими братьями и сестрами, при этом у детей матерей с начальным образованием, у учащихся с недостаточными познаниями в области питания и у проживающих в семье из более чем 4 человек часто отмечаются признаки нездорового пищевого поведения [10].…”