The association of body image, percent body fat, nutrient intake, physical activity among adolescent

Abstract

Purpose

Obesity in adolescents has been a severe public health problem in developing countries in recent years. This study aims to assess the differences in socioeconomic, nutrition knowledge, breakfast habits, body image, physical activity, smoking, total sleep quality and nutrient intake between obese and non-obese adolescents.

Design/methodology/approach

This cross-sectional study with 2,432 adolescents (16–18 years) was conducted at senior high schools in DKI Jakarta from January to November 2019. Body image, percent body fat, nutrition intake and physical activity variables were collected.

Findings

This study found that more than 30% of adolescents in DKI Jakarta were overweight and obese. Overall, adolescents have a 56.3% positive body image, participate in moderate-intensity physical activity (49.02%), and smoke was found at a rate of 6.9%. The average total sleep quality was 71.3% fair and nutrient intakes 1599 ± 413 calories. The findings suggest that monthly income (p = 0.001, p = 0.016), energy intake (p = 0.005, p = 0.019) and total sleep quality (p = 0.008, p = 0.04) variables were consistently associated with nutritional status and percent body fat. Moreover, the body image perception (p = 0.035) variable had a negative correlation with nutritional status, and the smoking habits variable (p = 0.001) had a negative correlation with percent body fat.

Originality/value

This study provides empirical evidence that establishes the association between monthly income, energy intake, total sleep quality with nutritional status and body fat percentage in adolescents.

Citation

Gifari, N., Sitoayu, L., Nuzrina, R., Ronitawati, P., Kuswari, M. and Prasetyo, T.J. (2022), "The association of body image, percent body fat, nutrient intake, physical activity among adolescent", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 52 No. 8, pp. 1221-1230. https://doi.org/10.1108/NFS-10-2021-0305