title: Overweight/obesity and factors associated with body mass index during adolescence: the VYRONAS study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe overweight and obese adolescents and to determine any correlations between an adolescent's body mass index (BMI) with personal (age, gender), lifestyle (sedentary/sport activities, smoking status) and parental (smoking status, BMI, number of cars) characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional data on weight, height and various characteristics from 2008 Greek adolescents (12- to 17-year olds, 50.85% boys), measured in 2005-2007, were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Almost 1 in 5 (19.2%) boys and 1 in 7 (13.2%) girls 12-17 years of age were overweight while 4.4% of the boys and 1.7% of the girls were obese. The adolescents' age, mother's smoking status, father's and mother's BMI predicted boys' and girls' BMI (b = 0.551, 0.203, 0.110, 0.495 for boys, b = 0.233, 0.187, 0.180, 0.531 for girls, respectively, p < or = 0.05). Univariate analysis revealed that television watching/using personal computer/playing video games and playtime were not correlated with BMI, while an inverse association of exercising for > or = 5 h/week and BMI was found in both boys and girls (b =-1.098, -0.528, p = 0.005, 0.004 respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of our study underline the high prevalence of obesity during adolescence in Greece. Age and parental unhealthy behaviour (increased BMI and maternal smoking status) were positive predictors of increased BMI of adolescents in both genders.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice and Family Medicine, Health Centre of Vyronas, Athens, Greece. gas521@yahoo.co.uk
authors.forename: Constantinos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mihas
authors.forename: Anargiros
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mariolis
authors.forename: Yiannis
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Manios
authors.forename: Androniki
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Naska
authors.forename: Demosthenes
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Panagiotakos
authors.forename: Angeliki
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arapaki
authors.forename: Alevizos
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alevizos
authors.forename: Theodoros
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mariolis-Sapsakos
authors.forename: Yiannis
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tountas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010332:Paternal Behavior; D015995:Prevalence; D011998:Recreation; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data