Lifestyle of Hungarian adolescents--observations among metropolitan secondary school students.
OBJECTIVE
Obesity among adolescents is a significant and global disease which requires early prevention. The development of overweight and obesity depends not only on genetic components but also on lifestyle. The objective of the survey was to study the lifestyle of 15- to 19-year-old secondary school students in Budapest.


METHODS
Students (n = 1,273, 670 boys, 603 girls) were asked to complete questionnaires about their leisure activities, physical exercise, eating habits and knowledge of nutrition. The response rate was 45.2%.


RESULTS
Three-quarters of the secondary school students lived a sedentary life and more than half were dissatisfied with their body weight. More than 40% of the girls had been on a slimming diet at least once. Half of the students regularly consumed vitamin and/or mineral supplements. Nearly 25% of the adolescents did not have breakfast and nearly 60% of the school-leavers smoked regularly.


CONCLUSIONS
Coordinated cooperation is necessary among stakeholders to support the aim of changing nutritional and exercise behavior of adolescents.
Péter
Szabolcs
S
National Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition, Budapest, Hungary. yurphan@freemail.hu
Regöly-Mérei
Andrea
A
Biró
Lajos
L
Nagy
Katalin
K
Arató
Gyorgyi
G
Szabó
Csaba
C
Vámos
Adrienne
A
Martos
Eva
E
Antal
Magda
M
D000293:Adolescent; D001835:Body Weight; D004038:Diet, Reducing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015444:Exercise; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D013332:Student Dropouts / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data