EATING HABITS, EXCESS WEIGHT AND WEIGHT SELF-PERCEPTION AT SCHOOL

Introduction: in the last years the rates of overweight and obesity in adolescents have been increasing simultaneously with a progressive abandon of the Mediterranean dietary patterns. In addition many adolescents misperceive their weight. Objectives: to analyse the prevalence of overweight/obesity, to assess the self-perception of weight and to explore the eating habits in a child and adolescent sample. The relationship among these variables and the influence on the psychosocial wellbeing are also analysed. Method: a total of 87 secondary school students participated in this project. Weight and height were obtained, the self-perceived weight was assessed and a series of questionnaires were applied in order to explore the participants wellbeing. Results: 28.73% of the sample had overweight and 9.19% obesity, 27.48% of the students misperceived their weight and only a quarter of the sample had a proper Mediterranean dietary pattern. The frequency of weight control was related positively with a higher weight perception. Discussion and conclusions: many participants underestimated their weight and a possible association between overweight/obesity and skipping breakfast was observed. A progressive increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in adolescents is confirmed and the need to implement nutrition education programs after analyzing the eating habits is proposed.