Diet, Physical Activity and Body Condition of Young People

Introduction

Promoting a healthy lifestyle and nutrition programs on education in order to correct the wrong food habits, the principles represent a priority in health education strategies. C. Price, D. Cohen, P. Pribis, and J. Cerami (2017)

From recent studies on the mode of nutrition in adolescents show that their diet is characterized by nutrition mistakes that are recognized as responsible for the development of chronic diseases, especially cardiovascular. These data and the fact that the prevalence of obesity is essential in pediatric age is steadily growing, indicate the need for appropriate interventions undertaken in the field of nutrition. M. Racey, C. O’Brien, S. Douglas, O. Marquez, G. Hendrie, and G. Newton (2016)

An important factor determining the health is physical activity. Impact of inactivity izik is increased risk for developing chronic diseases. M.C. De Menezes, L.B. Bedeschi, L.C. Dos Santos, and A.C.S. Lopes (2016)

The emphasis is on new population that is prone to change their behavior and where future interventions are likely to give maximum effect in terms of health.

Methodology

This is a transversal study in which were included 721 students aged 14-19 years. Participants in the study follow the education system in Tirana. Specific weight of the number of secondary school students in Tirana, the report defines urban / rural: 73% / 27%. This geographic distribution is conditional on drawings in order extrapolation of information for youth hanger subpopulation high school in Tirana, T. Forneris, at all. (2010) young age varies from 14 years old 19, but most (81%) belong 15-18 years age group. Pupils completed a detailed questionnaire on food consumption frequency. Consumption frequency questionnaires that consist in recording the frequency of food enterprises and their quantitative analysis, based on memory, aided by visual presentation of food portions with sides atlases. R. Amani, and M. Soflaei (2006) The basic principle of this method is that the average diet for a long period, eg. making weekly, monthly or yearly exhibition is conceived as an important in relation to the making of a few days. D. Wang, D. Stewart, Y. Yuan, and C. Chang (2015) The questionnaire is divided into three parts. The first part contains general data of the respondents. The second part includes questions about nutrition, foods and their frequency of consumption and the third part includes questions on physical activity of young people. All data analysis was performed using the statistical package SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 20.0) and M. Office Excel 2010. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to estimate the linear relationships of numerical variables, where they were considered statistically significant values p≤0.05.

Results and Discussion

It is noted that 69.2% of respondents to the question If last year you eat out of the ordinary, give reason why? Responded that they did not significantly change in the way of eating versus 30.8% who responded that they had changed the way of nutrition. This change in diet because women (51%) is more evident in comparison with males (33%) explained that even with the higher tendency of women to guard against obesity.

Graphic no1 Differences diet in total

Graphic no2 Differences in diet between genders

Graphic no3 Physical activity in young people

For the first time this study provides data on the daily average ranging kalorazhin: boys-2647 kcal / day, girls - 2545kkal/day, values ​​according to town / village: 2619 / 2548 kcal / day, because this difference that the economic level that area exists between urban / rural areas in Albania. There is also a difference according to level of kalorazhit economic level of well-2666 kcal / day Average -2572 kcal / day Slender-2884 kcal / day, the trend values the highest level of young people that refer to weak economic security as a result of the biggest part of energy from cereals (mainly bread, diet food base that Albanian former -70% of the total calorific).

The study also points to an active life of our young people, 71% of them make rapid walking in step with> 2 hours in week, 53% regularly use bicycle, and 72% of them participate in organized sports activitie; 2 hours in week. H.S. Yuksel, F.N. Şahin, N. Maksimovic, and P. Drid Bianco, (2020)

Graphic no 4 Reported values on body weight perception

71% Rapid Walking 53% Bicycle 72% Sports Activitie

Logical and realistic reflection of enterprises caloric and physical activity level values ​​are also reported body weight perception, where only 9% of young people feel at risk for overweight, 79% feel normal and 10% do not know.

9% Risk for Overweight 79% Feel Normal 10% Do Not Know

Regarding the food that we often found with the youth daily menu, they are: bread and other cereals (95.55%), fruits and vegetables (84%), cheese (64%, but with a very low daily intake of 17% milk), meat (mostly white meat and red 48%), but with a lower consumption of fish (15%) due to higher prices in the spot trading market. There is a tendency to use for cooking fats of plant origin mainly sunflower oil and olive oil, low consumption of alcohol (about 38.7% claim not to have ever consumed beer or wine and 23% <1 time / month).

Conclusions

-The study of the mode of nutrition of young people in our country allowed, for the first time, the calculation of average values ​​for this age group calories day and in the assessment of diet quality plan.

- It is noted that caloric intake are lower than rates, (8) expressed in these particular male sex / rural areas and with a tendency towards unilateral feeding in layers with weak economic level.

Be the corresponding diet typical Mediterranean (Albania is also a Mediterranean country) with some minor deviations in terms of frequency of consumption of bread, milk and fish in relation to the recommended values.

- Albanian youths continue to make an active life in terms of level of physical activity and a low intake of alcohol.

- The data obtained will serve as an important basis in the planning and implementation of future programs in nutrition education, promoting a healthy lifestyle and prevention of illnesses from malnutrition.

References