Author:

Keywords:

adolescent, wellbeing, weight, BMI

Abstract:

In a sample of Flemish secondary school students (N = 1762), Body Mass Index (BMI) was related to students' self-reported sedentary hobbies, a composite measure of TV viewing and computer use. Such links are often explained by (a) the low energy expenditure level of these activities and (b) TV viewers' exposure to commercials on unhealthy foods and soft drinks. However, it is rarely investigated whether sedentary hobbies could act as a mediator between wellbeing and BMI, an association that is also often observed (r -.25, p < .001 in this sample). An in-depth analysis of the TV viewing behaviour showed that overweight students did not enjoy watching commercials about candy and cookies as much as normal weight students did (Chi2 (4) = 14.96, p < .01), but no other differences were found, hence we had no indication of "overexposure" to commercials in the overweight students. Regression analyses showed that students who felt unhappy or discontent were more likely to spend a considerable time watching TV or using the computer, and that this lifestyle component is indeed an important mediator of the relationship between wellbeing and BMI (Sobel test ratio -2.99, p < .01). When both the index of wellbeing and all relevant lifestyle factors were entered as predictors of BMI, all variables contributed significantly to the model (Adj. R2 .09, F(6, 1713) = 28.14; p < .001). These results indicate that the interplay between proximal (energy balance behaviours) and distal (wellbeing) variables may be a crucial factor in explaining overweight in secondary school students.