Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate gender, ethnic and school type differences in overweight and energy balance-related behaviours: snack, soft drink and breakfast consumption, walking, bicycling, and playing sports during leisure time, active commuting to school, television viewing and computer use among 1215-year-old adolescents. Methods. Cross-sectional data on weight status and energy balance-related behaviours were obtained from 1 206 adolescents (200506). Energy balance-related behaviours were self-reported and body mass index was calculated from measured height and weight. Gender, ethnic and school type differences in weight status and behaviours were examined with multi-level logistic regression analyses. Results. Overweight and unfavourable energy balance-related behaviours were more likely among youth from non-Western ethnic backgrounds and those attending vocational schools. Analyses stratified by ethnicity showed that girls from non-Western ethnic backgrounds were more likely to be overweight (OR = 1.5) and to report not bicycling (OR = 2.4) and watching more than two hours of television (OR = 2.3) compared with boys from non-Western ethnic backgrounds. Vocational students from Western ethnic backgrounds were more likely to report high levels of soft drink consumption (OR = 3.2), watching television (OR = 2.9) and computer use (OR = 2.1) compared with higher-level education students from Western ethnic backgrounds. Conclusions. The study findings indicate important ethnic and educational differences in overweight and energy balance-related behaviours. Future research should focus on what kind of interventions work and for which target groups they work, taking demographic variables, such as gender, ethnicity, school type into account.

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doi.org/10.3109/17477160902953066, hdl.handle.net/1765/25003
International Journal of Pediatric Obesity
Erasmus MC: University Medical Center Rotterdam

van der Horst, K., Oenema, A., te Velde, S., & Brug, H. (2009). Gender, ethnic and school type differences in overweight and energy balance-related behaviours among Dutch adolescents. International Journal of Pediatric Obesity, 4(4), 371–380. doi:10.3109/17477160902953066