ASSOCIATION BETWEEN EATING HABITS AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

The aim: The study aimed to assess the association between the physical activity level and eating habits of primary school students. Material and methods: 139 children attending one of the Polish primary school or football school were included. The research tool was author’s anonymous survey. Results: The high physical activity level was observed in 34.1% of boys and in 8.8% of girls. As the level of physical activity increased, the consumption of vegetables and fruits also increased. Whole grain bread, coarse-grained groats, whole grain pasta and brown rice were more popular among students with a high physical activity level. The greater the physical activity, the greater the amount of water drank by students. The consumption of sweets, fast food, and ready-made meals, such as frozen pizza or Chinese soup, decreased with increased physical activity. The choice of healthier substitutes for unhealthy snacks was declared by students with moderate or high physical activity level. There was no correlation between BMI and age and the physical activity level. Girls were less active than boys. Conclusions: More active physically children had better eating habits and were more aware of healthy eating principles than less active people.

Differences in Sociodemographic, Health-Related, and Psychological Factors in Users and Nonusers of Nutritional Supplements in Fitness Club Participants in Tehran, Iran

Nutritional supplement (NS) use has increased among the general population, athletes, and fitness club participants and has become a widespread and acceptable behavior. The objective of this study was to determine the differences in sociodemographic, health-related, and psychological factors between NS users and nonusers. A case-control study design was used, whereby participants included 147 NS users (cases) and 147 nonusers (controls) age 18 yr and above who exercised at least 3 d/wk in 24 fitness clubs in Tehran. A self-administered pretested and validated questionnaire was used to collect data. The results showed that on average, NS users were younger (29.8 ± 9.5 yr) than nonusers (35.5 ± 12.2 yr). Logistic-regression analysis showed that NS use was significantly associated with moderate or high physical activity level (PAL), smoking, gender, eating attitude, and age. In conclusion, NS users were more likely to be female, younger, and smokers; to have moderate or high PAL; and to be more prone to eating disorders than nonusers.