title: The association between church attendance and obesity-related lifestyle behaviours among New Zealand adolescents from different Pacific Island ethnic groups.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obesity is disproportionately prevalent among Pacific population groups in New Zealand. Lifestyle behaviours of excessive consumption of high energy, unhealthy foods and inadequate physical activity are risk factors for obesity that can be modified.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To identify and describe the risk factors for and protective factors against obesity among Pacific Island (PI) adolescents who attend church and compare them with PI adolescents who do not attend church.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated the lifestyle behaviours of 2495 PI adolescents at six secondary schools in Auckland, New Zealand (NZ), 77% of whom attend a church or other place of worship. The cross-sectional survey was undertaken in 2005. Structured individual interviews and anthropometric measurements were undertaken.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Church attendees had a higher mean body mass index (BMI) compared with non-attendees (BMI 27.4 vs BMI 26.6), adjusted for age, gender and PI ethnicity (p=0.01). The weight status of attendees was associated with less healthy breakfast and lunch sources, lower levels of physical activity, and limited knowledge of the risk factors for obesity (p<0.05) DISCUSSION: Culturally appropriate and ethnic-specific weight management interventions, including monitoring and policy development programmes, are needed urgently to change pro-obesity lifestyle behaviours in PI adolescents and to avoid the burgeoning future obesity-related illnesses that would otherwise result. The church may be an important venue and change agent in the prevention of obesity for this population.
authors.affiliation: Pacific Health Section, School of Population Health, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, PB 92019, Auckland, New Zealand. o.dewes@auckland.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Ofa
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Dewes
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Scragg
authors.forename: C Raina
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Elley
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009520:New Zealand; D009765:Obesity / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000209:etiology*; D010139:Pacific Islands / Q000208:ethnology; D012067:Religion; D012307:Risk Factors