Skip Navigation



Journal of Public Health Advance Access published online on May 8, 2008
Journal of Public Health, doi:10.1093/pubmed/fdn037
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
30/3/258    most recent
fdn037v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Grøholt, E.-K.
Right arrow Articles by Nordhagen, R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Grøholt, E.-K.
Right arrow Articles by Nordhagen, R.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2008, Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved

Overweight and obesity among adolescents in Norway: cultural and socio-economic differences


Else-Karin Grøholt, Researcher1
Hein Stigum, Senior Researcher2
Rannveig Nordhagen, Senior Researcher3

1 Department of Health Statistics, Division of Epidemiology, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, PO Box 4404, Nydalen, 0403 Oslo, Norway
2 Department of Chronic Diseases, Division of Epidemiology, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, PO Box 4404, Nydalen, 0403 Oslo, Norway
3 Department of Genes and Environment, Division of Epidemiology, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, PO Box 4404, Nydalen, 0403 Oslo, Norway


Address correspondence to Else-Karin Grøholt, E-mail: else-karin.groholt{at}fhi.no


  Abstract

Background The aim of this study was to investigate overweight and obesity among a representative population of 15 966 Norwegian 15–16 year olds and the associations with different socio-economic and cultural risk factors.

Methods Self-reported data were obtained from school-based surveys in six counties during 2000–04. Overweight and obesity were calculated using Cole's index.

Results The prevalence of overweight and obesity were 11.8% and 2.4%, respectively, higher among boys. Logistic regression analyses revealed that adolescents in Nordland, Troms and Finnmark (the northernmost counties) were 70–90% more likely to be overweight and obese compared with adolescents in Oslo (the capital and southernmost county) (OR for overweight in Finnmark = 1.7, CI = 1.3, 2.3). Lower educational plans and poor family economy were both significantly associated with overweight and obesity. So was physical inactivity (OR = 1.2, CI = 1.1, 1.3 and OR = 1.6, CI = 1.2, 2.1, respectively). Eating breakfast was positively associated with not being overweight/obese.

Conclusion Overweight and obesity is associated with socio-economic factors and with factors related to food habits and nutrition, suggesting important areas for prevention.

Keywords: epidemiology, obesity, public health


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.