SELECTED DAILY REGIME ACTIVITIES AMONG ADOLESCENT GIRLS – TROJAN HORSE OF GESTATIONAL OBESITY?

Abstract

Aim: The article analyzes breakfast-skipping, excessive screen-based activities (two or more hours a day), and insufficient physical activity in relation to body mass index and family affluence in 13–15 year-old girls in Slovakia. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Health Behavior in School Aged Children (HBSC), an internationally standardized cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted in 2014, in Slovakia. The representative sample consisted of 3,077 adolescent girls aged 13–15 years. Results: Overweight and obesity was found in 6.2%, and 4.0% of respondents, respectively. The majority (55.0%) of girls admitted skipping breakfast, and 83.6% reported excessive screen-based activities regardless of family affluence. Daily physical activities were two times more common in girls with normal weight compared with those who were obese (18.6% vs. 9.1%). Conclusion: Insufficient physical activity and excessive screen-based activities are common in adolescent girls, and are, therefore, crucial factors to focus on in the prevention of obesity, especially after pregnancy. Keywords: adolescent girls, daily regime, obesity.