Food-Habits and Lifestyle Habits in a Primary School Students Population from Mataró (Barcelona) Associated with Consumption of Sugar and Television

Abstract

Background: Most important trends of knowledge and behaviour are built on childhood and adolescence. Thus, to act on non healthy habits at early ages should have more impact in the development of later diseases. Methods: 2.898 primary school students answered a written selfadministered questionnnaire containing ítems about Dietary habits, life-style habits, and familiar socioeconómic level. Cluster analysis was used to obtain the profile of student groups with higher probabilities to develop the risk habits studied. Results: High consumption of television is associated with older ages, refreshments intake, and moderate consumption of sugar. On the other hand, high consumption of sugar is associated with older ages, usual intake of candies, type of school, low intake of raw vegetables, and low consumption of fruits. Conclusions: Other non healthy dietary and lifestyle habits show clustering in high consumers of television and/or sugar. The influence of socioeconomic level on getting risk habits is well stated; however, the role played by this variable in the results of our study remains uncertain, probably due to the utilization of indirect data. The reultants profiles suggest that the presence of some non healthy lifestyle habits, such as high television and sugar consumption, tends to cluster other risk habits in tha same person