Estimated levels of physical activity and food habits in the adolescent in the school environment of the city of daloa (Cote d'ivoire)

This Adolescence is a pivotal period marked by many physical and psychological changes and a quest for significant autonomy. But the eating habits acquired during this period tend to persist over time and influence growth and long-term health. The purpose of this study was to improve the lifestyle of teenagers in the city of Daloa. To this end; she focused on developing a model for estimating body composition in a group of adolescents (176 girls and 175 boys) aged 11 to 17, enrolled in five secondary schools in the city of Daloa. They participated in the study by taking their anthropometric measurements to calculate BMI and waist-height ratio. A questionnaire was set up to obtain information on their physical activity and their food frequency. Underweight, overweight and abdominal obesity were determined according to WHO growth curves. The results showed that 23.86 % of girls and 47.71 % of boys are underweight. In addition, girls are more overweight (11.93 %) than boys (1.71 %). Similarly, they have more abdominal obesity (4.54 %) than boys (1.71 %). Boys are therefore more active than girls. In addition, most of these adolescents do not eat breakfast; de not consumes fruits and vegetables, milk and dairy products on a daily basis. More than half consume donuts, cakes, cookies, sweets and chocolate more than 3 times / week. Almost half of teenagers consume sugary drinks more than 3 times / week. In conclusion, it emerged from this study that adolescents in these 5 different secondary schools have a lifestyle at risk of developing chronic diseases through poor eating habits and lack of physical activity, especially among girls.