Leisure activity patterns and their associations with overweight: a prospective study among adolescents.
We examined longitudinal associations between individual leisure activities (television viewing, video viewing, computer games, listening to music, board games, musical instrument playing, reading, arts, crafts, socializing, clubs or scouts, sports, outdoor activities) and being overweight using logistic regression and latent class analysis in a cohort of Finnish twins responding to self-report questionnaires at 11-12 (N=5184), 14, and 17 years. We also studied activity patterns ("Active and sociable", "Active but less sociable", "Passive but sociable", "Passive and solitary") thought to represent different lifestyles. Among boys, activity patterns did not predict becoming overweight, but sports and playing an instrument reduced the risk and arts and listening to music increased it. Among girls, few individual leisure activities predicted becoming overweight. However, girls in the "Passive and solitary" cluster carried the greatest risk of becoming overweight in late adolescence. Studying leisure activities related to overweight may help focus specific interventions on high risk groups.
Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. hanna-reetta.lajunen@helsinki.fi
Hanna-Reetta
HR
Lajunen
Anna
A
Keski-Rahkonen
Lea
L
Pulkkinen
Richard J
RJ
Rose
Aila
A
Rissanen
Jaakko
J
Kaprio
D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult