Evaluation of the nutritional status, compliance with the Mediterranean diet, physical activity levels, and obesity prejudices of adolescents

Abstract

Aim: This research was planned and conducted as a cross-sectional descriptive study in order to determine the nutritional status, compliance with the Mediterranean diet, physical activity levels, and obesity prejudices of adolescents, and to evaluate the relationship between them. Methods: The research was conducted with 233 adolescents aged between 13 and 18 years who studied at a high school in the Oskiidar district of Istanbul. A 3-day food consumption record and anthropometric measurements of the participants were made, and the KIDMED scale, IPAQ scale, and GAMS-27 scale were applied. Results: 50.2% of the adolescents participating in the study were girls and 49.8% were boys; the mean age was 15.57 +/- 1.12 years. The mean BMI scores of the girls and boys were 22.55 +/- 3.85 kg/m(2) and 22.85 +/- 3.52 kg/m(2), respectively (p>0.05). The average waist / height ratio for girls was 0.45 +/- 0.05, and for boys it was 0.47 +/- 0.05 (p <0.05). It was determined that girls consumed an average of 1673.28 +/- 469.36 calories daily and boys consumed 1823.31 +/- 576.70 calories (p<0.05). The mean KIDMED score of the participants was 4.31 +/- 2.48, the mean IPAQscore was 3524.65 +/- 2236.81 MET, and the mean GAMS-27 score was 82.56 +/- 11.46. Discussion: As a result of the research, it was concluded that the participants complied with the Mediterranean diet at a low-moderate level, were minimally active, and prone to having obesity prejudices.