The relationship between some food factors with the weight status of high of high school adolescent girls in Semnan, 2004

Malnutrition among adolescents is not only an important health problem but also an economic development issue in Iran and other developing countries. High incidences of nutritional deficiencies and poor eating habits during adolescence may lead to undesirable concequences in later years, including osteoporosis, obesity, hyperlipidemia, sexual maturation delay, and a shorter adult stature. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between some food factors with the weight status in high school adolescent girls in Semnan. In a cross-sectional study, using the two-stage random sampling method, 256 girl students 14-18 year old were randomly selected from 8 Semnan high schools. Weight and height were measured and BMI was calculated. The weight status was defined on the basis of BMI-for-age, using the CDC 2000 standards. Data on 24-hours recall, food record, and food frequency were collected using standard questionnaires. Underweight, overweight, and obesity were present in 5.9% (expected 5%), 11.7% (10%), and 4.7% (5%) of the subjects, respectively. The data also indicated that there were significant relationships between the BMI percentile and the daily fat intake (p=0.003, r=+0.18), energy percent from fat (p=0.04, r=+0.01) and weekly fast food frequency (p= 0.026, r=+0.139). Similarly, there was a significant relationship between the daily snack frequency and weight status (p=0.023). The daily energy, carbohydrate, and protein intakes, energy share of macronutrients except fat, meal frequency, and the fruit and vegetable, red meat, dairy products except cheese, and cocoa intakes had no significant relationships with the weight status. Daily fat intake, percent of energy from fat, frequency of fast food intake, and snack intake had significant relationships with the weight status of high school adolescent girls in Semnan. Nutrition education and correction of food habits could help to improve the nutritional status of adolescent girls.