Evaluation of body mass index and related lifestyle factors among 14–17-year-old Turkish adolescents

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: During adolescence, unhealthy body weight status is considered as a global concern as it may lead to adverse health consequences in adulthood, therefore evaluation of the risk factors is crucial. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of adolescents under the risk of being underweight, overweight, and obese among 14–17-year-old Turkish adolescents. In addition, we examined the association between unhealthy body weight categories and lifestyle factors. METHODS: This study was designed as cross-sectional study which included body weight status and associated parameters of 1561 adolescents aged between 14 and 17 who were registered 25 different high schools in Istanbul, Uskudar. Height and body weight of participants were measured and related factors were obtained through a questionnaire. Differences in distributions were analyzed using the Chi-square test and to control confounding factors, multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed. As statistical significance limit of p