Physical activity among a representative sample of Lebanese adolescents aged 12-18 years : a national cross-sectional study -

Abstract

Background: Physical activity is a well-known lifestyle behavior that has numerous health benefits. However, the vast majority of adolescents worldwide do not meet the general activity recommendations of 60 minutes per day. To date, few studies examined the activity levels of adolescents in countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and even fewer explored the association of physical activity with other lifestyle behaviors and dietary intake. Objectives: This study aimed at examining the physical activity levels and sedentary behaviors among a large sample of Lebanese adolescents aged 12-18 years, and investigating the association of physical activity with sociodemographic variables, dietary intake and nutritional status. Methods: A sample of 488 adolescents aged 12-18 years was recruited from a representative sample of Lebanese households as part of a larger national study conducted in 2015. The cross-sectional study included face-to-face interviews with youth and their mothers within their household setting. A multi-component questionnaire was administered to collect information on the socio-demographic status, activity levels and dietary intake of the participants. A modified Arabic version of the Youth Physical Activity Questionnaire (YPAQ) was administered as part of the multi-component questionnaire to assess physical activity levels and sedentary behaviors among adolescents. Anthropometric measurements (weight, height, waist circumference) of the adolescents were also collected by trained dietitians. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS (version 20.0). Bivariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the associations of physical activity with socio-demographic variables and dietary intake. The association between physical activity and nutritional status was explored using adjusted multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results: Findings from the present study showed that adolescents spent on average 405 minutes of physical a