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. 2022 Mar 31;19(7):4124.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19074124.

Influence of Lifestyle Habits in the Development of Obesity during Adolescence

Pedro Juan Carpena Lucas  1 , Francisco Sánchez-Cubo  2 , Manuel Vargas Vargas  3 , José Mondéjar Jiménez  4
Affiliations

Influence of Lifestyle Habits in the Development of Obesity during Adolescence

Pedro Juan Carpena Lucas et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: The alarming increase in childhood obesity is a global public health problem since it has significant health consequences. This cross-sectional study aimed to identify the potentially modifiable risk factors for developing excess weight and determine the importance of developing certain habits to prevent childhood overweight and obesity. Methods: The sample included 416 students between the ages of 12 and 14 (12.8 ± 0.62) first-year high school students from Murcia in Spain. Data were collected on their lifestyle habits through the ENHASA questionnaire, and the somatometry of the participants was measured. Such data were studied through structural equation modeling and importance-performance map analyses. Results: The modifiable risk factors that presented the greatest potency directly regarding when developing excess weight in adolescents were ‘use of electronic devices’ and ‘not performing physical activity’ (p < 0.001). ‘Social and school environment’ and ‘diet’ showed relationships but no significant differences with overweight or obesity. Globally, the lifestyle habit of the greatest importance for not being overweight was ‘engagement in extracurricular physical activities’. On the other hand, the habits related to using new technologies in a sedentary way showed the best capacity for improvement. Therefore, it would be very efficient to focus on them to control excess weight. Conclusion: Responsible and limited use of screens and engaging in extracurricular physical activities may be the most remarkable and cost-effective strategies for obesity prevention programs.

Keywords: importance-performance map analysis; lifestyle; obesity; overweight; prevention; structural equation modeling; teenagers.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
General results of the structural equations model. D: Dietary factors; EN: Environment; ICTs_1: Sedentary information and communication technologies; ICTs_2: Information and communication technology not associated with physical inactivity; PA: Physical activity; W-1 (BMI): Body Mass Index; W-2 (WHtR): Waist to height ratio; W-3 (WHR): Waist to hip ratio.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Importance-performance map of constructs to weight. D: Dietary factors; EN: Environment; ICTs_1: Sedentary information and communication technologies; ICTs_2: Information and communication technology not associated with physical inactivity; PA: Physical activity; W: Weight.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Representation of each life habit assessed in the ENHASA questionnaire (see Table 3). Importance-performance map of latent variables to weight.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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