Exploring the Association between Socioeconomic Environment, Eating Habits and Level of Nutrition in Children of High School Age: A Part of National Survey
Mladen Grujicic,
Marija Sekulic,
Jovana Radovanovic,
Viktor Selakovic,
Jagoda Gavrilovic,
Vladan Markovic,
Marija Sorak,
Marko Spasic,
Rada Vucic,
Snezana Sretenovic,
Olivera Radmanovic,
Zlata Rajkovic Pavlovic,
Katarina Nikic Djuricic,
Jovica Tomovic,
Milena Maricic,
Snezana Radovanovic
Affiliations
Mladen Grujicic
Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Health Centar Bijeljina, 76300 Bijeljina, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Marija Sekulic
Department of Hygiene and Ecology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
Jovana Radovanovic
Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
Viktor Selakovic
Department of Communication Skills, Ethics and Psychology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
Jagoda Gavrilovic
Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
Vladan Markovic
Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
Marija Sorak
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
Marko Spasic
Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
Rada Vucic
Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
Snezana Sretenovic
Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
Olivera Radmanovic
Clinic for Rheumatology and Allergology, University Clinical Center Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
Zlata Rajkovic Pavlovic
Department of Dentistry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
Katarina Nikic Djuricic
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
Jovica Tomovic
Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
Milena Maricic
Academy of Applied Studies Belgrade, The College of Health Sciences, 11070 Belgrade, Serbia
Snezana Radovanovic
Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
Background/Objectives: One of the raising public health problems in the adolescent population is obesity, which has reached epidemic proportions worldwide. The aim of this work is to determine the prevalence of obesity in the population of children of secondary school, age 15 to 19 years in Serbia and the determinate connection with demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the respondents and their eating habits and physical activity. Methods: The research is part of the fourth National Population Health Survey conducted in 2019, which was conducted by the Republic Institute of Statistics, in cooperation with the Institute of Public Health of Serbia and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia. As a research instrument, questionnaires were used in accordance with the methodology of the European Health Survey. For the purposes of this research, data on the adult population aged 15–19 and over were used. Results: The association of overweight with demographic and socioeconomic characteristics was examined using binary regression. In the univariate model, male gender (OR = 1.95), younger age (OR = 1.57) and Region of Vojvodina (OR = 2.47) stood out as significant predictors of overweight, which was confirmed by the multivariate model. Conclusions: The results of our study emphasize that the prevalence of obesity in the population of high school youth is at a significant level and that a lot more needs to be done to promote healthy lifestyles and raise awareness of their benefits on health status.
