study of the eating habits of the students attending the first 2 years at high school in italy

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Study of the eating habits of the students attending the first2 years at high school in Italy

Calabrese Giorgio • Maj Monica • Testa Margherita •

Fioramonti Elisabetta • Rossi Filippo

Received: 18 July 2012 / Accepted: 11 December 2012 / Published online: 25 December 2012

� Springer-Verlag Italia 2012

Abstract The study involved 983 adolescents attending

the first 2 years at high school (14–15 years) in Bra

(Northern Italy). The research was aimed at studying the

essentials of food habits of adolescents while in school, at

home or away from home, their conditions and opinions

about body weight, about sport practice and the satisfaction

with their physical appearance. The involved students were

given a questionnaire and anthropometric measurements

were taken (weight and height). The percentage of under-

weight students was higher among female students than

males (8.45 vs. 3.93 %), while boys tended to be over-

weight more than girls (8.05 vs. 4.02 %). The only obesity

cases (n = 3) were found among boys. Female students

attending the Professional Institute have a higher BMI than

those at the Lyceum (21.97 vs. 21.03; P \ 0.05). No sig-

nificant differences in the BMI value have been found

among male students attending different schools. The

questionnaire results showed that almost half of the stu-

dents do not have breakfast at home while they prefer

coffee shops or vending machines. The BMI value of the

students, who have breakfast at home is lower than that of

the students, who almost never have breakfast (21.71 vs.

22.52; P \ 0.05). 42 % of meals are not eaten together

with the family, even if at home there is a person respon-

sible for the preparation of meals. Sport is practiced by

58.5 % of males and 42.6 % of females in a competitive

way and on a regular basis. 35 % of students are occa-

sionally satisfied with their physical appearance; 13.3 %

are never satisfied. A significant relationship can be found

between the satisfying ratio and gender: 66.2 % of males

are always or often satisfied, while 63.9 % of females are

unsatisfied or poorly satisfied.

Keywords Adolescents � Eating habits � Overweight

Introduction

Till now, several studies have been done to examine large

groups of students through adolescence focusing on the

behaviors that lead to obesity.

Neumark-Sztainer [1] found that adolescents who

reported to be on a diet at the beginning of their study

period, are three times more likely to become obese during

the following five years, compared to their peers, who were

not on a diet. These figures are true both for males and

females.

US data show the rising trend of the desire among

adolescents to lose weight: the percentage in 1999 was

43.3 % among girls, which rose to 59.4 % in 2007, 15.3 %

among boys rose to 26.1 %.

A recent study by Stice [2] examines psychological

profiles and behaviors among a group of 500 teenage girls

during a 4-year period. It was pointed out that diet

restrictions, radical weight control practices as vomiting

and appetite reducers, depressive symptoms and the per-

ceiving of parental obesity (but not consumption of high

fat foods or frequent exercise), can result in obesity.

C. Giorgio

Universita degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale ‘‘Amedeo

Avogadro’’, Via Perrone, 18, 28100 Novara, Italy

M. Monica � R. Filippo (&)

Istituto di Scienze degli alimenti e della nutrizione, Facolta di

Agraria, Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via Emilia

Parmense 84, 29122 Piacenza, Italy

e-mail: [email protected]

T. Margherita � F. Elisabetta

Liceo Scientifico Classico Linguistico ‘‘Giolitti-Gandino’’,

Via Fratelli Carando 43, 12042 Bra, Cuneo, Italy

123

Mediterr J Nutr Metab (2013) 6:143–150

DOI 10.1007/s12349-012-0117-8

This study has also demonstrated how children obesity can

be related to the parents’ and to depression.

Eating disorders more often occur during adolescence,

characterized by major changes that affect the body, rela-

tionships with peers and families, autonomy and that can

seriously interfere with the realization of one’s life plan.

The most dangerous age is between 15- and 25 years

old, but earlier beginnings between 10-and 15 years old are

increasing [3].

The purpose of this study is to assess the excess weight

problems, eating habits and the satisfaction with their body

weight within a group of high school students aged

between 14 and 15 years.

Materials and methods

Subjects

The survey involved 1,066 adolescents aged 14 and

15 years, who are attending the first 2 years at high school

in Bra (Cuneo, Northern Italy); the survey has been carried

out through an anonymous 16 points questionnaire that was

given to students (Tables 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9). Date of birth

and gender were also asked.

Answers have been submitted by 983 respondents, equal

to 92.21 %: 509 males and 474 females.

The low rate (7.79 %) of unsubmitted questionnaires

was mainly due to the absence of several students on the

day of the survey. All involved students and their parents

had given their informed consent to participate in the

survey.

Anthropometric measurements

Anthropometric measurements were performed during

routine physical examination organized by Italian Ministry

of Health for monitoring the health status of young stu-

dents. The subjects’ weight was obtained in light clothing

(dress or shorts T-shirt) on a scale (Seca) with precision of

100 g. Height was measured with a Martin stadiometer.

Body mass index (BMI) was calculated based on the

weight and height values, considering the values corre-

sponding to the 85th percentile of Frisancho [4] standards

the cut off points for the assessment of overweight and the

95th percentile for the evaluation of obesity. Teenagers

with BMI \ 5th percentile were classified as underweight.

Statistical analysis

The statistical analysis of the comparison between pro-

portions was carried out using the Chi square (v2) test.

Different BMI among types of school, or among students

that eat, and those who avoid eating breakfast and/or

snacks, or as a function of body satisfaction, have been

compared using Bonferroni’s test.

All statistical analyzes have been carried out using SAS

software 9.2 (SAS Inst., Cary, NC, USA).

Results


The average values of this investigation, related to students

attending the first 2 years at high school in Bra, refer to

14-year-old adolescents attending the first class and

15-year-old adolescents attending the second class.

Different gender does influence the value of the body

mass index (BMI), the percentage of underweight students

is higher among females than males (8.45 vs. 3.93 %,

P \ 0.05) (Table 1), while boys tend to be even more

overweight than girls of the same age (8.05 vs. 4.02 %;

P \ 0.05) (Table 1). The only obesity cases (n = 3) were

found among boys.

Different values of BMI have been found among stu-

dents attending different schools. Female students attend-

ing the Professional Institute have a higher BMI than those

at the Lyceum (21.97 vs. 21.03; P \ 0.05). No significant

differences in the BMI value have been found among male

students attending different schools (Table 2).

Table 1 Incidence of overweight and underweight in the considered

students’ population

Males Females P value

n (%) n (%)

Underweight 20 3.93 40 8.45 \0.05

Normal weight 445 87.43 415 87.53 NS

Overweight 41 8.05 19 4.02 \0.05

Obese 3 0.59 – – NS

Table 2 BMI average values among students from different schools

in Bra district

School BMI

Females n Males n

ITCG 21.38 ± 3.11ab 143 22.56 ± 2.97 140

Lyceum 21.03 ± 2.51a 191 22.16 ± 2.82 115

Professional 21.97 ± 3.11b 140 23.29 ± 3.78 97

Education – 22.75 ± 3.63 109

ITI – 22.83 ± 3.48 48

ITCG Accountancy Institute, ITI Industrial and Mechanical Institutea,b P \ 0.05

144 Mediterr J Nutr Metab (2013) 6:143–150

123

Answer to questionnaire

Only 53.7 % of the students always have breakfast at

home, with a predominance of males (58.2 vs. 48.7 %;

P \ 0.01), one-third (33.3 %) occasionally have breakfast

at home, the remaining 13.4 % never have breakfast at

home (Table 3).

Most students (62.2 %) always have a snack between

breakfast and lunch, while about one-fourth only some-

times (Table 3). Sandwiches are the most appreciated food

(55.8 %) followed by snack (25 %) and beverages

(19.2 %), males prefer sandwiches (58.4 % males vs.

53.0 % females), while females choose snack foods more

frequently (28.1 vs. 22.2 %) (data not shown).

Only 57.5 % of respondents have their meals at home, at

the same time and together with their family (Table 3).

In about 80 % of the families, there is a person

responsible for the preparation of meals, with no differ-

ences between schools (Table 3).

Subjects enrolled in the study are poorly involved in the

preparation of meals: 21 % often and 60 % sometimes.

Girls are more involved in the preparation of meals than

boys: 28.5 % often help in the kitchen, while only 14.3 %

of the boys do so (P \ 0.01). The results are opposite for

students, who never help in the kitchen (24.5 % males vs.

12.9 % females; P \ 0.01) (Table 3).

Most of the students prefer traditional cuisine: 63 %.

Males prefer traditional cuisine more than females (66.0 vs.

59.9 %) (Table 3).

TV advertising affects food choices: often (8.4 %),

sometimes (77.7 %), few of them declare to be indifferent

to TV advertising (13.8 %) (Table 3).

When considering the type of food consumed at break-

fast, 35.1 % of intervisted students drink milk, 25.4 % milk

with coffee and 1.5 % eats yogurt, on the whole, milk or

yogurt is part of the breakfast for the 62.0 % of the students

(Table 4). Biscuits are the most appreciated source of

carbohydrates being choose by almost 1 student out of 4

(24.8 %). Only 10 students eat fresh fruit (1.0 %), while

107 prefer chocolate cream (10.8 %) (Table 4).

Most adolescents watch TV while having meals

(48.0 %), only 31.50 % do not switch it on during lunch

time. The main activities during meals are watching TV

and talk with relatives, less relevant other activities

(Table 5).

Water is the most popular drink: 41.2 % tap or still

natural water and 29.1 % mineral water, soft drinks are in

third place (21.4 %). Wine is moderately popular, partic-

ularly among males (12.8 % of choices). Tap water is more

preferred by females than males (P \ 0.01), while the

Table 3 Questions to students on eating habits; results are expressed as absolute value with percentage in brackets

Question Males, n = 509 Females, n = 474

Yes (%) No (%) Sometimes

(%)

Yes (%) No (%) Sometimes

(%)

Do you have breakfast at home? 296 (58.2)* 60 (11.8) 153 (30.0) 231 (48.7)* 72 (15.2) 171 (36.1)

Do you have any snack or beverage between breakfast

and lunch?

333 (65.4) 59 (11.6) 117 (23.0) 278 (58.6) 60 (12.7) 136 (28.7)

At home, do you always eat at the same time and with

your family?

294 (57.8) 215 (42.2) – 271 (57.2) 203 (42.8) –

Is there a person responsible for the preparation of

meals?

419 (82.4) 90 (17.6) – 372 (78.5) 102 (21.5) –

Do you take part in the preparation of meals at home? 73 (14.3) 125 (24.6)** 312 (61.3) 135 (28.5)** 61 (12.9)** 278 (58.6)

Do you prefer typical dishes from your region? 336 (66.0) 173 (34.0) – 284 (59.9) 190 (40.1) –

Do you like eating products that have been advertised

on TV?

48 (9.4) 77 (15.3) 384 (75.3) 35 (7.4) 59 (12.4) 380 (80.2)

*,** Comparison male versus female (v2 test): * P \ 0.05; ** P \ 0.01

Table 4 Answers to the question: what do you eat for breakfast?

Results are expressed as absolute values, while percentage, on the

whole sample is in brackets

Food Answers (%)

Milk 345 (35.1)

Milk and coffee 250 (25.4)

Coffee 58 (5.9)

Yogurt 15 (1.5)

Tea 99 (10.1)

Fruit juice 10 (1.0)

Bread and fruit jam 66 (6.7)

Bread and honey 46 (4.7)

Bread and chocolate cream 107 (10.9)

Cookies 244 (24.8)

Sandwich 25 (2.5)

Fruit 10 (1.0)

Other 8 (0.8)

Mediterr J Nutr Metab (2013) 6:143–150 145

123

percentage of male students preferring wine is higher than

females one’s (P \ 0.05) (Table 6).

The percentage of students that are curious and not

biased towards new food is high. Males and females have

almost the same distrust–refusal attitude (22.2 and 22.4 %)

and curiosity attitude (77.8 and 77.6 %) (Table 7). The

opening to new eating experiences and the desire to learn

and to try new foods is not conditioned by gender.

Most of the students prefer eating out at pizzerias

(55.1 %), while 10.1 % prefer bars and 14.0 % fast food:

restaurants has been chosen by 20.6 % of the subjects.

Males prefer fast food (15.7 % M vs. 12.2 % F) and res-

taurants (23.2 % M vs. 17.7 % F). Females prefer pizzerias

(59.5 % F vs. 51.1 % M) and bars (10.3 % F vs. 9.8 % M)

(Table 8).

Among the opinions and beliefs about the factors that

influence body weight, almost half of the enrolled popu-

lation (49.8) believe it is eating habits and 32.9 % physical

activity (Table 9).

The genetic factors are considered the most important by

15.4 % of students, while the 2 % of cohort believe it

depends on the environment. Females give greater impor-

tance to food habits (54.6 %) than males (45.4 %)

(P \ 0.05).

Anthropometric measurements and eating and life

habits

Having breakfast at home does influence the BMI, students

who have breakfast at home show the lowest value of this

parameter (P \ 0.05) compared to those who occasionally

have breakfast. Difference was not so significant as com-

pared to those who never have breakfast (Table 10).

Students having both breakfast and a snack have a lower

BMI than people who avoid both meals and arrive fasted at

noon (21.48 vs. 23.14; P \ 0.05) (Table 11).

In our cohort, students who watch TV do not have a dif-

ferent BMI value (22.03 ± 3.24) as compared to that of stu-

dents who evade watching TV while eating (22.09 ± 2.98)

(data not shown).

Table 5 Answers to the questions: what do you do while having

meals? Results are expressed as absolute value, with percentage put in

brackets

Males (%) Females (%) P for v2

I speak with relatives 221 (43.4) 238 (50.2) NS

I watch TV 259 (50.9) 213 (44.9) NS

I’m quiet 20 (3.9) 14 (3.0) NS

Other 9 (1.8) 9 (1.9) NS

Table 6 Answer to question: what do you drink during your meals?

Results are expressed as absolute value, with percentage in brackets


Tap or still natural water 171 (33.6) 234 (49.4) \0.01

Sparkle mineral water 148 (29.1) 138 (29.1) NS

Drinks 117 (23.0) 91 (19.2) NS

Milk 6 (1.2) 3 (0.6) NS

Wine 65 (12.8) 8 (1.7) \0.01

Nothing 2 (0.4) – NS

Table 7 Answer to question: what is your attitude towards new food

and drinks ? Results are expressed as absolute value with percentage

in brackets


Distrust/rejection 113 (22.2) 106 (22.4) NS

Curiosity 396 (77.8) 368 (77.6) NS

Table 8 Answer to question: when you eat out, do you prefer…?

Results are expressed as absolute value with percentage in brackets


Pizzeria 260 (51.1) 282 (59.5) NS

Bar 50 (9.8) 49 (10.3) NS

Fast food 80 (15.7) 58 (12.2) NS

Restaurant 118 (23.2) 84 (17.7) NS

I do not eat out home 1 (0.2) 1 (0.2) NS

Table 9 Answer to question: on your opinion, what does determine

the body weight? Results are expressed as absolute value with per-

centage in brackets


Physical activity 182 (35.8) 141 (29.7) NS

Genetic background 82 (16.1) 69 (14.6) NS

Eating habits 231 (45.4) 259 (54.6) \0.05

Environmental factors 14 (2.7) 5 (1.0) NS

Table 10 BMI values (mean ± SD) as a function of having breakfast

at home or not

All BMI

Females Males

Always 21.71 ± 3.12a 20.96 ± 2.97a 22.30 ± 3.12a

Sometimes 22.52 ± 3.18b 21.98 ± 2.75b 23.22 ± 3.48b

Never 22.29 ± 3.10ab 21.67 ± 2.79ab 23.03 ± 3.31ab

Means in the same columns, with different superscript, significantly

differ a,b (P \ 0.05)


123

Sport activity and body satisfaction

Sport is practiced by the majority of the students (50.9 %),

42.6 % of the females and 58.5 % of males (Table 12): in a

competitive way 22.9 % and regularly 28 % (data not

shown). Females practicing sport regularly had a lower

BMI than subjects with a low level of sports activity

(22.91 ± 3.17 vs. 23.68 ± 3.11; P \ 0.01). In males, these

differences are not statistically significant (24.50 ± 3.19

vs. 25.01 ± 4.05).

Among those students who are always or often satisfied,

males are more than females (66.2 vs. 36.1 %; P \ 0.01),

while girls not satisfied of her body are sharply most

abundant than boys (19.0 vs. 8.1 %; P \ 0.01) (Table 13).

The level of satisfaction for own body was inversely

related to BMI, with unsatisfied subjects having a BMI

higher than students with a higher satisfaction (Table 14).

Discussion


If we compare the average result regarding the overweight

students (6.11 %) with that of HSBC study (Health

Behavior in School-aged Children) (25 %), conducted in

2005 [5] on ‘‘healthy and unhealthy habits’’ of adolescents

living in Piemonte, conducted by the University of Turin,

Piemonte Regional Office and Regional School Office, we

note that the percentage is considerably different, as in the

Okkio’s study [6]: 20 % of the students were overweight.

Given their low number, including obese subjects does not

modify the percentage of overweight subjects.

Difference between our study and previously cited ones

could de due to the higher level of physical activity in our

group of students: the 31.4 % of males and 13.7 % of

females practiced sport in a competitive way, while in

HBSC [5] this percentage was globally less than 20 %. The

percentage of students involved in sport practice more than

three times/weeks is also higher in our study compared to

Okkio’s study [6] 58.5 vs. 52 % for males and 42.6 vs.

40 % for females.

The fact that the highest percentage of underweight

subjects can be found among female students can be related

to their lower satisfaction with their physical appearance

that has been observed in the women cohort and to the

higher frequency of anorexia among females, even if no

anorexia cases have been reported [7].

Answers to the questionnaire

Only 53.7 % of the students always have breakfast at

home. This finding is in sharp contrast with the values of

D’Addesa et al. [8] in which 95 % of respondent students

said they eat breakfast at home. If we add the number of

students who declared to occasionally have breakfast, then

the data of our study (87 %) become more similar to

D’Addesa et al. [8]. Males always prefer having breakfast

at home (58.2 %) more than females (48.7 %) (P \ 0.05).

These data can be interpreted as the result of the fact that

a high percentage of commuter students do not wake up in

time to have breakfast at home.

The lower BMI observed in students having breakfast

compared to ones that arrived to school fasted does not

fully agree with the meta-analysis made by Rampersaud

et al. [9] who in 16 studies did not find a clear corre-

spondence between non-consumption of breakfast and

increase of the BMI value. However in 10 out of 16 studies,

a significant inverse relationship between BMI and con-

sumption of breakfast was observed.

Data on consumption of milk are slightly different (35.1

vs. 30 %) from those reported by D’Amicis et al. [10]. If we

add up values corresponding to adolescents who have yogurt

or coffee with milk, 62.3 % of respondents consume this

important source of Ca, however, more than a third does not

consume dairy foods, that according to Lombardi-Boccia

Table 11 Body Mass index (BMI) in subjects having both breakfast

and snacks or lacking both the meals (mean ± SD)

Breakfast and

snack

All BMI

Females Males

Yes (n = 356) 21.49 ± 3.11a 20.54 ± 2.98a 22.17 ± 3.03a

Never (n = 41) 23.14 ± 3.62b 22.29 ± 3.57b 24.23 ± 3.48b


differ a,b P \ 0.05; a,b P \ 0.01

Table 12 Levels of sport activity; results are expressed as absolute value with percentage are in brackets

Sex Level of sports activity

Competitive way (%) Regular (C 3 times/week) (%) Poor (B 2 times/week) (%) Never (B 1 times/week) (%)

Females 65 (13.7) 137 (28.9) 171 (36.1) 101 (21.3)

Males 160 (31.4) 138 (27.1 145 (28.5) 66 (13.0)

P for v2 \0.01 NS NS \0.05

Chi square value for contingency table: 44.01; P \ 0.01


123

et al. [11] provide the 58.13 % of Ca intake in the diet of

Italians. We could deduce a possible shortage of the mineral

in the examined adolescents. A low intake of Ca in the range

from 14 to 18 years, has also emerged from the study of

Larson et al. [12], also the national survey carried out in Italy

[13], reported an average Ca intake for children aged

10–17.9 years of: 892 mg/day for males and 770 mg/day for

females, lower than requirements fixed in 1,200 mg/day.

As far as the consumption of milk is concerned, the

study revealed that 7 % of the student population suffers

from intolerance to milk and dairy products (IMD). These

data differ from those found by Nicklas [14] where IMD is

more prevalent in adults (12.3 %), and the dominant

immunological mechanisms driving allergic reactions

change with age. Our study has not directly checked the

intolerance to lactose, but we only considered what was

declared by volunteers, our data may be therefore

overestimated.

Only 10 students are used to have fruit for breakfast, this

very low value stress the importance of educational cam-

paign for the promotion of fruit consumption at school.

The percentage of students that routinely have a snack

during the morning break is higher than 60 %, if we add

the percentage of students who have breakfast or snacks,

the result is that more than 80 % of respondents have a

secondary meal before the midday main meal.

Considering that splitting the consumption of food can

prevent the loss of control that leads to binge eating, the

obtained data are positive.

The lower BMI of students having both breakfast and

snack as compared to subjects avoiding both meals and

arrive fasted at noon confirms the importance of a regular

frequency of meals for the prevention of overweight and

obesity.

The preference that the male population gives to sand-

wiches (savory snacks–sandwiches), is in line with the

results obtained by Lioret et al. [15] that assessing the

intake of different food groups in French boys and girls

(aged 15–17 years), observed a significant increase in the

consumption of sandwiches and savory snacks in boys as

compared to girls.

The family influences the eating behaviors of children

through times, preparation of the food, models that are

offered to adolescents who are not yet fully autonomous.

Although the meal is prepared by one of the parents in most

the cases, this person not always eats with his children. The

fact that about 42 % of students eat by themselves,

deprives them of the educative role of the family and puts

them at risk of unbalanced meals.

The family organization influences the way of preparing

meals, the lowest percentage (74.7 %) of families where

there is a person responsible for preparing meals, has been

found among the families of the students who attend the

Professional School. The majority of the students who

attend this school come from families where parents are

employees and are then subject to the constraints of work

shifts or other time restrictions, therefore they cannot

always prepare meals for their children.

This finding is in agreement with the lower percentage

(46.8 %) of positive answers given by this group of stu-

dents to the question (At home, do you always have meals

at the same time and together with your family?).

The low involvement of children in the preparation of

meals can be an obstacle to the nutritional education pro-

gram because it implies a lack of knowledge of foods.

Females resulted more involved than males in the prepa-

ration of meals (28.5 vs. 14.35; P \ 0.01).

Almost half of the respondents (48.0 %) watch TV

while eating. Epstein et al. [16] have shown that watching

TV is a risk both because of physical inactivity and of

consumption of food. In their study, they demonstrated that

the increase in inactivity is associated with an increase in

food intake, while a reduction in physical inactivity is

accompanied by a spontaneous reduction in food con-

sumption. Watching TV reduces energy expenditure in

Table 13 Level of satisfaction for body aspect; results are expressed as absolute value, with percentage are in brackets

Sex Levels of body satisfaction

Fully satisfied (%) Moderately satisfied (%) Poorly satisfied (%) Not satisfied (%)

Females 62 (13.1) 109 (23) 213 (44.9) 90 (19.0)

Males 163 (32.0) 174 (34.2) 131 (25.7) 41 (8.1)

P for v2 \0.01 \0.01 \0.01 \0.01

Chi square value for contingency table: 97.02; P \ 0.01

Table 14 Relationship between BMI and satisfaction for own body

Level of satisfaction Females Males

BMI BMI

Fully satisfied 22.54 ± 2.57ab 24.30 ± 3.21a

Moderately satisfied 22.21 ± 3.37a 24.17 ± 3.25a

Poorly satisfied 23.39 ± 2.94b 24.96 ± 3.66a

Not satisfied 25.19 ± 2.91c 27.79 ± 4.35b


differ a,b,c P \ 0.01


123

case of obesity [17] and increases food intake because of

the advertising messages [18]. TV can lead to overweight

causing changes in eating habits. It is estimated that in

western countries from 20 to 25 % of daily calories are

eaten while watching TV [19]. Children often eat while

watching TV [19], and it has also been demonstrated that

TV advertising tends to promote highly energetic food

[20, 21].

Students who watch TV do not have a different BMI

value compared to subjects that watch TV while eating.

This result is not in contrast with the study by Borzekowski

[22] because our questionnaire was not asking the number

of hours that children spend watching TV or how sedentary

they are, it was asking about a habit they have while having

meals.

The fact that 70 % of the respondents consume simple

water is very important and helps to explain why a low

percentage of students are overweight. Carbonated bever-

ages have a high caloric content (40–45 kcal/100 ml),

much higher than water that has zero calories. There are no

significant differences in BMI values between students who

drink water (22.07 ± 3.07) or carbonated beverages

(21.92 ± 3.92).

The choice of beverages strongly depends on gender:

males prefer wine (12.8 % M vs. 1.7 % F); while females

prefer natural water (49.3 % F vs. 33.5 % M). There is

less difference if the choice is for carbonated beverages

(23 % M vs. 19.2 % F).

It is quite a surprising result because adolescents tend to

be suspicious towards unknown food and their diet is fairly

monotonous. The percentage of students who do not have

prejudices towards new foods is even higher that the per-

centage who like traditional food.

The role of TV considered as a guide for the food

choices of adolescents does not come out as essential. The

high propensity to consumption of new foods may also

derive from the fact that TV shows new eating styles not

only in commercials.

The fact that our cohort preference is for ‘‘pizzerias’’

shows a potential problem in nutritional education. Pizza is

a highly caloric food (271 kcal/100 g) and provides a low

fiber intake (3.8 g/100 g) [23]. In addition, pizza does not

usually come together with fruit or vegetables. Foods

purchased in bars or fast food restaurants have also the

same nutritional limits. What follows is that eating out

provides in most cases a nutritionally unbalanced food

intake.

The genetic component is considered as not so important

in determining overweight, while eating habits and physi-

cal activity play a major role. Respondents are aware that

individual behaviors help to prevent or to solve weight

problems.

Sport activity and body satisfaction

Sport is practiced by the majority of students (50.8 %): in a

competitive way (22.9 %) and regularly (28 %). These data

differ from what stated by Vieno et al. [24] whose data

show that 62 % of children regularly practice sport or

physical activity. It is clear from other national and local

surveys [25, 26] that males have a greater aptitude towards

sport (74.1 %) than girls (50.6 %).

The values expressed as a percentage show a higher

majority of males (31.4 %) practice sport in a competitive

way compared to females (13.7 %).

Kantomaa et al. [27] reported that inactive female

adolescents are doubly at risk of depression (OR = 2.3),

suffer from attention disorders especially when at

school (OR = 2.1), are triply at risk of psychosocial dis-

orders (OR = 3.2), have more psychosomatic disorders

(OR = 1.4) more often behave outside the rules or frankly

antisocially (OR = 1.8), compared to physically active

peers.

Male student is more satisfied with their physical

appearance than females. These data confirm what stated

by Pellai et al. [28] where 56 % of the boys perceived their

weight as normal, compared to 53 % of girls.

Conclusions

Eating behavior is a valuable gauge of a more general

attitude towards health and should not be considered as

isolated attitudes, but should be included within programs

that promote the wellbeing of adolescents.

In view of the fact that obesity is a major risk factor for

the onset of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovas-

cular diseases and some cancers, it is necessary to imple-

ment all possible preventive measures.

Effective prevention can be implemented during child-

hood and adolescence, when eating habits are not regular

and there is still a greater willingness to change. To obtain

some results, it is important to commit all the major edu-

cational figures that relate with children, first of all family

and teachers. The probability of changing lifestyle is higher

if the environment and the contest where adolescents live

provides various and coherent opportunities to transmit a

message of health.

Acknowledgments Bra Rotary Club and Piemonte Region have

contributed to the achievement of this study. The collaboration of

students and employees of the schools involved (Liceo Scientifico

Classico Linguistico Giolitti Gandino and Istituto Professionale

Mucci) is gratefully acknowledged.

Conflict of interest None.


123

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