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. 2020 Nov;32(6):e23419.
doi: 10.1002/ajhb.23419. Epub 2020 Apr 11.

A composite measure of healthy lifestyle: A study from 38 countries and regions from Europe and North America, from the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children survey

Adilson Marques  1   2 , Joana Bordado  3 , Riki Tesler  4 , Yolanda Demetriou  5 , David J Sturm  5 , Margarida Gaspar de Matos  2   3
Affiliations

A composite measure of healthy lifestyle: A study from 38 countries and regions from Europe and North America, from the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children survey

Adilson Marques et al. Am J Hum Biol. 2020 Nov.

Abstract

Introduction: This study aimed to create a composite measure of a healthy lifestyle for adolescents, and analyze its relationship to sociodemographic factors.

Methods: Data were from the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children 2014 International survey. Participants were 167 021 adolescents (48.2% boys and 51.8 girls), aged 10-16 years, from 38 countries.

Results: Five healthy behaviors used in this study included engaging in ≥60 minutes of physical activity every day, daily consumption of fruit and vegetables, spending <2 hours daily immersed in screen-based behaviors, and abstinence from alcohol as well as from tobacco products. Only 1.9% (95% CI: 1.4%, 2.3%) of adolescents had a healthy lifestyle, achieving all five healthy behaviors. In contrast, 4.2% (95% CI: 3.7%, 4.6%) reported none of the healthy behaviors.

Conclusions: Despite the benefits of engaging in physical activity, engaging in low levels of screen-based activity, regular consumption of fruits and vegetables, and abstaining from alcohol and cigarettes, only 2% of adolescents could be classified as having a healthy lifestyle.

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References

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