Influence of physical activity and lifestyle on nutritional status and cardiovascular prevention of countryside school adolescents in Italy

BACKGROUND: Assess nutritional status and cardiovascular prevention of adolescents and their parents, besides the influence of physical activity and eating habits, in countryside. METHODS: Nutritional status was evaluated measuring weight, height, BMI, blood pressure, waist-hip circumference and body fat by skinfolds. Eating habits were evaluated by food frequency questionnaire to form two clusters, one closer to Mediterranean diet and the other to Western diet. Questionnaires have also been used to evaluate physical activity and family environment. RESULTS: No differences were found in anthropometric and body composition data between clusters, but an association was observed between adolescents BMI and family environment. Non-curricular physical activity was able to prevent gain of weight. CONCLUSIONS: To reduce the negative effect of obesogenic elements and to promote the non-curricular and curricular physical activity in countryside healthy policies measures are needed.