Determinants of Body Mass Index Among Vocational College Adolescents

The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of deviations from normal body weight among students of secondary vocational educational institutions and their association with dietary and nondietary factors. The transition from adolescence to adulthood is a unique period during which lifelong eating habits are formed. The study involved 401 boys and 408 girls aged 15-17 years. Height and weight were measured; a questionnaire on diet, meal frequency, and portion size was completed to assess the set of consumed products, nutritional value of the diet, physical activity level, and smoking status. Descriptive statistics, Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney test, and multiple linear regression were used. The prevalence of underweight was 16% among boys and 15% among girls; the prevalence of overweight was 11.2% and 13.7%, and the prevalence of obesity was 4.2% and 5.1%, respectively. Overweight/obese young adults had higher median consumption of brown bread, dairy products, and eggs compared with normal weight young adults. Overweight girls ate more meat and potatoes. Our results add to the literature linking the prevalence of underweight among adolescents to dietary and nondietary factors. Our results suggest that improving nutrition among students may reduce the risk of chronic diseases in the future.