title: What factors are associated with excess body weight in Australian secondary school students?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Australian secondary school students and identify factors associated with excess adiposity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional survey of students aged 12-17 years (in school years 8-11) who completed the National Secondary Students' Diet and Activity survey in 2009-10, which included a web-based self-report questionnaire and height and weight measurements.
  
  
  METHODS
  Overweight and obesity based on international standard body mass index (BMI) cut-offs for children and adolescents.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data were analysed for 12 188 students. Just under one in four students were either overweight (18%) or obese (5%). After adjusting for demographic and health-behaviour characteristics, males were more likely than females to be overweight or obese (OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.07-1.40; P = 0.004), as were both low (OR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.40-1.99; P < 0.001) and medium (OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.14-1.55; P < 0.001) socioeconomic position (SEP) students compared with high SEP students. Students engaging in low levels of physical activity (OR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.08-1.36; P = 0.001), more time in small-screen recreation (OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.05-1.32; P = 0.005), and short sleep duration (OR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.05-1.41; P = 0.008) also had higher odds of being overweight or obese.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a need for interventions to reduce overweight and obesity during adolescence. Preventive measures should include a focus on facilitating physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviour, as well as promoting adequate sleep, particularly among young people from lower SEP neighbourhoods who appear to be most susceptible.
authors.affiliation: Centre for BehavIoural Research in Cancer, Cancer Council Victoria, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Belinda C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Morley
authors.forename: Maree L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Scully
authors.forename: Philippa H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Niven
authors.forename: Anthony D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Okely
authors.forename: Louise A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Baur
authors.forename: Iain S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Pratt
authors.forename: Melanie A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Wakefield
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003201:Computers; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004034:Diet Surveys; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012890:Sleep; D012923:Social Class; D013334:Students; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013690:Television; D018910:Video Games