Gender, ethnic and school type differences in overweight and energy balance-related behaviours among Dutch adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to investigate gender, ethnic and school type differences in overweight and energy balance-related behaviours: snack, soft drink and breakfast consumption, walking, bicycling, and playing sports during leisure time, active commuting to school, television viewing and computer use among 12-15-year-old adolescents.


METHODS
Cross-sectional data on weight status and energy balance-related behaviours were obtained from 1 206 adolescents (2005-06). Energy balance-related behaviours were self-reported and body mass index was calculated from measured height and weight. Gender, ethnic and school type differences in weight status and behaviours were examined with multi-level logistic regression analyses.


RESULTS
Overweight and unfavourable energy balance-related behaviours were more likely among youth from non-Western ethnic backgrounds and those attending vocational schools. Analyses stratified by ethnicity showed that girls from non-Western ethnic backgrounds were more likely to be overweight (OR = 1.5) and to report not bicycling (OR = 2.4) and watching more than two hours of television (OR = 2.3) compared with boys from non-Western ethnic backgrounds. Vocational students from Western ethnic backgrounds were more likely to report high levels of soft drink consumption (OR = 3.2), watching television (OR = 2.9) and computer use (OR = 2.1) compared with higher-level education students from Western ethnic backgrounds.


CONCLUSIONS
The study findings indicate important ethnic and educational differences in overweight and energy balance-related behaviours. Future research should focus on what kind of interventions work and for which target groups they work, taking demographic variables, such as gender, ethnicity, school type into account.
van der Horst
Klazine
K
Department of Public Health, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. kvanderhorst@ethz.ch
Oenema
Anke
A
te Velde
Saskia J
SJ
Brug
Johannes
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D003201:Computers; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D015444:Exercise; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands; D016017:Odds Ratio; D050177:Overweight / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012574:Schools; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D012737:Sex Factors; D013690:Television; D014829:Vocational Education