Evaluation of nutrition and its relationship with BMI in adolescents in Birjand, South East of Iran

Background and Objectives: The prevalence of overweight and obesity as a major risk factor for several&nbsp;chronic diseases is increasing rapidly worldwide. Several studies pointed a correlation between obesity and nutrition&nbsp;pattern in children and adults. However, there are still some controversial aspects about this association.&nbsp;The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between body mass index and nutritional pattern in adolescents. Methods: This is a case-control study including 204 7th -12th grades high school children elected through&nbsp;multiple cluster-sampling in Birjand city. A questionnaire consisted of nutritional patterns was used. Data were&nbsp;analyzed using SPSS v.15. The statistical tests used were Chi square and t-test at &alpha;= 0.05. Results: There was no significant difference in age, gender and grade of school between overweight/obese&nbsp;and normal weight subjects. Although there was higher calorie intake in obese/overweight group, but there was&nbsp;no significant difference discovered. There was lower consumption of breakfast in the obese/overweight group&nbsp;(p=0.04). The average number of meals during one weak was significantly more in obese adolescents than normal ones (p<0.001). However, the number of days with breakfast consumption was significantly more in normal&nbsp;students (5.79 vs 5.1 or p=0.03). Conclusion: The amount of calorie consumption was not different between case and control in this study,&nbsp;thus, other factors including physical inactivity and genetic factors should be investigated in further studies.