Comparative mapping approach of energy intake and expenditure of obesity prevalence among school adolescents

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to describe the prevalence of overweight and obesity in an obesogenic environment among adolescents in the wilaya of Bejaia (eastern Algeria), and to assess their Physical Activity Level (PAL), Daily Energy Expenditure (DEE) and Total Energy Intake (TEI). Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on a sample of 3038 adolescents consisting of 1635 girls and 1403 boys in middle and high schools in 19 regions of Bejaia. The average age was 14.78 ± 2.53. Two questionnaires were assigned to collect data on their nutritional habits (24-h dietary call) and physical activity levels. BMI measurement was adopted in this study to determine the weight status of this sample and to assess the distribution of BMI, PAL, DEE, TEI over geographical areas of an administrative territory using the Student test descriptive statistical method (p < 0.05). Results: The prevalence of obesity and overweight was equal to 3.3%, the physical activity level in adolescents was 1.72 ± 0.21, with boys more likely to participate in sports than girls (16.5% for boys and 6% for girls). However, energy intake (3775.44 ± 719.07 kcal/day), energy expenditure (3144.13 ± 850.54 kcal) and body mass index (30.51 ± 2.99 kg/m2 ) were high. Body mass index (BMI) is negatively correlated with PAL (r ¼0.05) and positively correlated with TEI (r ¼ 0.31) and DEE (r ¼ 0.30), these results show that DEE and TEI factors play an important role in the prevalence of BMI with excessive consumption of high carbohydrate (614.55 g) and fat (98.9 g) foods, which is due to poor diet and are related to insufficient level of physical activity. The mapping shows that there is a disparity between the studied parameters: high BMI, low PAL and consumption of unhealthy foods (DEE, TEI). Conclusion: The lack of physical activity and the imbalance between energy intake and expenditure are the main factors that could lead to an increased risk of obesity in adolescents