ΔΙΑΤΡΟΦΗ ΚΑΙ ΑΣΚΗΣΗ

EXERCISE AND MEDITERRANEAN DIET

Adolescence is considered the most important period of human life and public health. Exercise, body composition and adherence to prudent dietary patterns are powerful indicators of preven-tion of adolescents overweight and obesity. Aim of this study is to assess whether the body composition and the dietary habits of Greek adolescents were associated to their involvement to sport activities. In this cross sectional study 292 teenage volunteers, from schools of the ATTICA region, aged 12 to 18 years old of both genders (169 boys 57,9% and 123 girls 42,1%) were par-ticipated. Socio-Demographic Characteristics, physical activity assessment was assessed by self-reported questionnaires. The assessment of dietary habits was carried out using the KIDMED questionnaire. Body Composition was determined by bioelectrical impedance. The majority of the students (79.1%) were involved in an organized type of exercise either as a member of a team or/and participating in individual sport activities. Exercise-active boys and girls had a similar body composition profile than non-active counterparts. No difference between the KIDMED scores of boys and girls was observed. Instead a significant higher KIDMED score was observed in the group of exercise active adolescents compared to the non-active group. This difference was more pronounced in boys. In conclusion, the engagement to organized exercise regimes is associated with better dietary choices leading to a healthier lifestyle profile.