L’objectif de modifier ou de contrôler son poids chez les adolescents : vecteur de promotion des saines habitudes de vie ou facteur de risque à la santé ?
One’s weight management goal is associated with some potentially harmful behaviours among adolescents, but its association with healthy lifestyle are less well known. The aim of this thesis is to quantify associations between one’s weight management goal and fruits and vegetables consumption, fast-food and sugar-sweetened beverages consumption, eating breakfast, and physical activity. Logistic regressions were performed on data from the 2010-2011 Enquête québécoise sur la santé des jeunes du secondaire. About 25%, 34%, 12%, and 29% of adolescents were respectively trying to lose weight, to maintain their weight, to gain weight, and not trying to do anything about their weight. Among boys and girls, trying to lose weight was associated with lower likelihood of eating breakfast daily (OR boys = 0.72, 95%CI = 0.61, 0.84, OR girls = 0.61, 95%CI = 0.56, 0.70). Among girls, it was also associated with higher likelihood of eating at least five portions of fruits and vegetables per day (OR = 1.20, 95%CI = 1.04, 1.37) and lower likelihood of drinking sugar-sweetened beverages daily (OR = 0.77, 95%CI = 0.66, 0.90). Trying to maintain weight or to gain weight were also associated with at least one unhealthy behaviour. Weight management goal is neither strictly positive nor negative. In implementing public health interventions aimed at adolescents, it therefore appears more prudent to directly promote lifestyle behaviours than to promote adoption of a weight management goal.
adolescence alimentation health behaviour lifestyle diet physical activity weight management goal obesity eating disorder