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Home / American Journal of Health Behavior, Volume 35, Number 6

Weight Status in US Youth: The Role of Activity, Diet, and Sedentary Behaviors

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Objectives: To assess associations of physical activity, diet, and sedentary behaviors with overweight and obesity. Methods: Analyses of the NHANES 2003-06 were conducted among 2368 US adolescents, ages 12-19. Self-reported diet and sedentary behavior measures were used; physical activity was assessed using accelerometers. Results: Television/video viewing (OR=1.84; CI=1.24, 2.69), physical activity (OR=0.75; CI=0.59, 0.95), and fiber intake (OR=0.96; CI=0.92, 0.99) were associated with obesity whereas television/video viewing was a risk factor for overweight (OR=1.57; CI=1.1, 2.63). Conclusions: Findings using accelerometer-measured physical activity are consistent with results from other studies using self-reported measurements. No interactions with ethnicity and gender were found.

Keywords: ADOLESCENT HEALTH; NUTRITION; OBESITY; PHYSICAL ACTIVITY; SEDENTARY BEHAVIOR

Document Type: Research Article

Affiliations: 1: Doctoral student at Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD 2: School of Community Health and Policy, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD 3: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Maryland School of Public Health, College Park, MD

Publication date: 01 November 2011

More about this publication?

  • The American Journal of Health Behavior seeks to improve the quality of life through multidisciplinary health efforts in fostering a better understanding of the multidimensional nature of both individuals and social systems as they relate to health behaviors.

    The Journal aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the impact of personal attributes, personality characteristics, behavior patterns, social structure, and processes on health maintenance, health restoration, and health improvement; to disseminate knowledge of holistic, multidisciplinary approaches to designing and implementing effective health programs; and to showcase health behavior analysis skills that have been proven to affect health improvement and recovery.

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