It is unclear from these results whether sports programs , as currently offered , protect youth from becoming overweight or obese .
Sport is a promising setting for obesity prevention among youth , but little is known about whether it prevents obesity .
Difference in dietary intake and activity level between normal-weight and overweight or obese adolescents.
BACKGROUND To investigate the prevalence of overweight and obesity in an adolescent group representative of a rural Mediterranean area and to determine possible associations with energy and nutrient intakes and levels of physical exercise . METHODS A representative sample of adolescents was drawn from the secondary school of Torre Pacheco ( Murcia ) , a rural Mediterranean area located in the southeast of Spain . The population selected ( 331 adolescents aged 14 - 18 years ) , was divided into two groups : normal-weight subjects with a body mass index less than 23 kg/m2 and overweight or obese subjects with a body mass index of 23 kg/m2 or more . Weight , height , abdominal and hip perimeters , triceps skinfold , and upper arm circumference were measured . A prospect i ve 7-consecutive-days food record and physical activity question naire were completed . RESULTS Overweight boys and girls had an apparently lower energy intake ( P = 0.001 and P = 0.042 , respectively ) , and carbohydrate intake ( P = 0.000 , P = 0.032 ) than their normal-weight counterparts , but they tended to underreport more often . Overweight boys derived a greater percentage of their energy from fat ( P = 0.049 ) and less from carbohydrate ( P = 0.016 ) than their normal-weight counterparts . Among girls , the percentage of energy derived from fat increased with body mass index ( r = 0.210 , P = 0.008 ) , whereas fiber intake decreased ( r = -0.145 ; P = 0.041 ) . Overweight and obesity were negatively related to physical activity level only among boys ( P = 0.033 ) . CONCLUSION There is a high prevalence of overweight and obesity in the adolescent population studied ( 48.2 % in boys and 30.7 % in girls ) . The study shows an association between overweight and obesity and nutrient intake and activity level
It is unclear from these results whether sports programs , as currently offered , protect youth from becoming overweight or obese .
Sport is a promising setting for obesity prevention among youth , but little is known about whether it prevents obesity .