Kroppsmasseindeks og helseåtferd hjå ungdom som bor på hybel

Abstract

Background: In Norway it becomes essential for many adolescents to move out of the family home to start their upper secondary education. This transition has earlier been shown to negatively impact adolescent´s health behaviours. Nevertheless, the literature is quite sparse, and to our knowledge body mass index (BMI) among upper secondary school students living in lodgings have not yet been explored. Purpose: To increase awareness regarding the health aspect of living in lodgings, specifically concerning BMI, daily breakfast eating, level of physical activity and smoking habits. Material and methods: A self-administered questionnaire, in addition to measurements of height and weight was used to collect data from 627 students in upper secondary school (mean age = 17). We used BMI (kg/m! ) to classify overweight (≥25 kg/m! ) and obesity (≥30 kg/m! ) in adolescents ≥18yrs. For adolescents ≤17yrs we used age- and genderspecific values for BMI, defined as iso-BMI. The difference in body mass index and health behaviours between adolescents living in lodgings and adolescents living at home was examined. Results: Compared to adolescents living at home, adolescents living in lodgings had 0,71 units higher BMI (95% CI: 0,07 – 1,35, p = 0,030), as well as a 61 percent higher probability of overweight (OR: 1,61, 95% CI: 1,05 – 2,47, p = 0,028). Adolescents living in lodgings less frequently ate breakfast, to a much lesser extent participated in physical activity and more often smoked (p-values <0,05). Smoking however, was only significant in the unadjusted analysis. Conclusions: The findings indicate that an early transition to independent living is related to a cluster of health-compromising risk factors, including an increased probability of being overweight or obese. Relevance: It is suggested that adolescents who live in lodgings may benefit from increased public preventive efforts. Parents, schools, municipalities and county are all encouraged to collaborate making the transition as good and healthy as possible, mainly by ensuring healthpromoting behaviours in adolescents living alone.