title: Eating habits reported by secondary school students in a city of west Turkey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The prevalence of obesity and underweight has increased in recent years due to the fact that eating and drinking habits have changed all over the world. This survey was conducted to estimate the prevalence of both obesity and underweight, as well as to understand the eating and drinking habits of a group of Turkish students.
  
  
  METHODS
  1044 students completed the survey. Responses were analyzed, using Chi-square (chi2) test and percent (%) ratios, according to gender. Differences were considered significant for p<0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  About 10% of the students (123/1044, 11.8%) were underweight, most of them were male. Most students (868/1044, 83.1%) were of the correct weight. A small percentage of the students (52/1044, 4.9%) were overweight, with just one obese student, boy. Compared to boys, girls significantly obtained higher scores when questioned on preference of bran bread (62.0% vs. 38.0%, respectively), taking pains to not gain excess weight in order not to get fat (55.6% vs. 44.4%, respectively), doing physical exercise if they felt they were gaining too much weight (54.85% vs. 45.2%, respectively), and reducing food consumption when they felt that they were gaining weight (55.0% vs. 45.0%, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For most people the importance of diet was obvious. This was especially reflected in the females' reports, since they reported a continual increase in their dieting and exercise behavior in an attempt to attain the contemporary ideal of being thin and physically fit.
authors.affiliation: Osmangazi University, Dietitian Department, 26480, Meselik Eskisehir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Nazan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Erenoglu
authors.forename: Unal
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ayranci
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Son
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001835:Body Weight; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D002648:Child; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012424:Rural Population; D013334:Students; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey