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Seven-year time trends in energy balance-related behaviours according to educational level and ethnic background among 14-year-old adolescents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 June 2015

Frederika J Meijerink
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Health Promotion, Public Health Service (GGD) Amsterdam, PO Box 2200, 1000 CE Amsterdam, The Netherlands Department of Health Sciences and the EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
C Leontine van Vuuren*
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Health Promotion, Public Health Service (GGD) Amsterdam, PO Box 2200, 1000 CE Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Hanneke AH Wijnhoven
Affiliation:
Department of Health Sciences and the EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Manon van Eijsden
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Health Promotion, Public Health Service (GGD) Amsterdam, PO Box 2200, 1000 CE Amsterdam, The Netherlands
*
* Corresponding author: Email lvvuuren@ggd.amsterdam.nl
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Abstract

Objective

To assess seven-year time trends in energy balance-related behaviours in 14-year-old adolescents living in an urban area and to examine the influence of educational level and ethnicity on these time trends.

Design

Second grade students (mean age 13·6 years) filled in questionnaires about the energy balance-related behaviours of breakfast consumption, fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity and screen-time behaviour from school years 2006–2007 to 2012–2013. Energy balance-related behaviours were dichotomized and logistic regression analyses were used to examine time trends in healthy energy balance-related behaviours, including interaction terms for educational level and ethnicity.

Setting

Secondary schools in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Subjects

Per school year, 2185–3331 children participated. The total sample included 19 244 students of Dutch, Surinamese, Turkish and Moroccan ethnic background.

Results

A significant linear increase was found for positive screen-time behaviour (<2 h/d; OR per year=1·04; 95 % CI 1·03, 1·06). For daily vegetable consumption a non-linear negative trend was observed (school year 2012–2013 v. 2006–2007: OR=0·90; 95 % CI 0·80, 1·00). Time trends in screen time were significantly different across educational levels (P-interaction=0·002) and ethnic backgrounds (P<0·001), as were time trends in daily fruit consumption (P=0·017 and P=0·018, respectively) and, for ethnicity, trends in daily vegetable consumption (P<0·001).

Conclusions

The increase in positive screen-time behaviour is a positive finding. However, discouraging screen time and promoting other healthy behaviours, more specifically daily fruit and vegetable consumption, remain important particularly among adolescents enrolled in pre-vocational education and of non-Dutch ethnic background.

Information

Type
Research Papers
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2015 
Figure 0

Table 1 Sociodemographic characteristics of 14-year-old adolescents participating in the Youth Health Monitor between school years 2006–2007 and 2012–2013, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Figure 1

Table 2 Percentages of 14-year-old adolescents participating in the Youth Health Monitor with healthy energy balance-related behaviours between school years 2006–2007 and 2012–2013, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Figure 2

Table 3 Seven-year time trends in healthy energy balance-related behaviours among 14-year-old adolescents participating in the Youth Health Monitor, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Figure 3

Fig. 1 Percentages of 14-year-old adolescents participating in the Youth Health Monitor meeting the guidelines for daily fruit consumption, stratified by educational level (+-+-+, practical pathway of pre-vocational education (PP VMBO); □-□-□, theoretical pathway of pre-vocational education (TP VMBO); ▲-▲-▲, senior general secondary education (HAVO); ×-×-×, pre-university education (VWO)), for school year 2006–2007 until school year 2012–2013, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Odds ratios and 95 % confidence intervals adjusted for sex, age, district of Amsterdam and ethnicity, for school year 2012–2013 v. 2006–2007: PP VMBO (OR=0·96; 95 % CI 0·93, 0·98), TP VMBO (OR=1·01; 95 % CI 0·98, 1·04), HAVO (OR=1·02; 95 % CI 0·98, 1·06), VWO (OR=0·99; 95 % CI 0·96, 1·01)

Figure 4

Fig. 2 Percentages of 14-year-old adolescents participating in the Youth Health Monitor meeting the advice for positive screen-time behaviour (<2 h/d), stratified by educational level (+-+-+, practical pathway of pre-vocational education (PP VMBO); □-□-□, theoretical pathway of pre-vocational education (TP VMBO); ▲-▲-▲, senior general secondary education (HAVO); ×-×-×, pre-university education (VWO)), for school year 2006–2007 until school year 2012–2013, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Odds ratios and 95 % confidence intervals adjusted for sex, age, district of Amsterdam and ethnicity, for school year 2012–2013 v. 2006–2007: PP VMBO (OR=1·06; 95 % CI 1·03, 1·10), TP VMBO (OR=1·06; 95 % CI 1·03, 1·10), HAVO (OR=1·06; 95 % CI 1·02, 1·10), VWO (OR=1·00; 95 % CI 0·97, 1·02)

Figure 5

Fig. 3 Percentages of 14-year-old adolescents participating in the Youth Health Monitor meeting the guidelines for daily fruit consumption, stratified by ethnicity (+-+-+, Dutch; □-□-□, Turkish; ▲-▲-▲, Moroccan; ×-×-×, Surinamese), for school year 2006–2007 until school year 2012–2013, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Odds ratios and 95 % confidence intervals adjusted for sex, age, district of Amsterdam and educational level, for school year 2012–2013 v. 2006–2007: Dutch (OR=1·01; 95 % CI 0·99, 1·03), Turkish (OR=0·95; 95 % CI 0·92, 0·99), Moroccan (OR=1·00; 95 % CI 0·97, 1·03), Surinamese (OR=0·95; 95 % CI 0·91, 0·99)

Figure 6

Fig. 4 Percentages of 14-year-old adolescents participating in the Youth Health Monitor meeting the guidelines for daily vegetable consumption, stratified by ethnicity (+-+-+, Dutch; □-□-□, Turkish; ▲-▲-▲, Moroccan; ×-×-×, Surinamese), for school year 2006–2007 until school year 2012–2013, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Odds ratios and 95 % confidence intervals adjusted for sex, age, district of Amsterdam and educational level, for school year 2012–2013 v. 2006–2007: Dutch (OR=1·02; 95 % CI 0·86, 1·22), Turkish (OR=0·64; 95 % CI 0·47, 0·88), Moroccan (OR=0·73; 95 % CI 0·59, 0·91), Surinamese (OR=0·86; 95 % CI 0·65, 1·13)

Figure 7

Fig. 5 Percentages of 14-year-old adolescents participating in the Youth Health Monitor meeting the advice for positive screen-time behaviour (<2 h/d), stratified by ethnicity (+-+-+, Dutch; □-□-□, Turkish; ▲-▲-▲, Moroccan; ×-×-×, Surinamese), for school year 2006–2007 until school year 2012–2013, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Odds ratios and 95 % confidence intervals adjusted for sex, age, district of Amsterdam and educational level, for school year 2012–2013 v. 2006–2007: Dutch (OR=1·00; 95 % CI 0·98, 1·03), Turkish (OR=1·11; 95 % CI 1·07, 1·16), Moroccan (OR=1·05; 95 % CI 1·02, 1·08), Surinamese (OR=1·10; 95 % CI 1·05, 1·14)