Dietary habits among 177091 Greek schoolchildren by age, sex, weight status, region, and living area. A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the dietary habits, from early childhood to adolescence, among participants from all regions of the country and living areas (rural/urban) and to assess potential associations between dietary habits and obesity, in both sexes.

METHODS: Population data were derived from a cross-sectional, health survey on a representative sample of 177091 children aged 6 to 18 years. Dietary habits were considered via a self-completed questionnaire (KIDMED index). Trained investigators assessed anthropometric data.

RESULTS: KIDMED scores were 6.7±2.4 and 6.8±2.3 for boys and girls, respectively, while a percentage of almost 10% of the total study population had insufficient dietary habits. Dietary habits peaked around age 11 and then gradually worsened until the end of adolescence, among both sexes, with an annual trend equal to -0.28±0.02 (p<0.001), for boys and 0.31±0.03, (p<0.001), for girls. Overweight/obese schoolchildren presented higher percentages in all unhealthy dietary habits (e.g. skipping breakfast, going often to a fast-food restaurant, and consuming a lot of sweets) than normal-weight ones (all p-values<0.001). Dietary habits did not noteworthy differ by area of living, i.e. urban versus rural, of participants, in both sexes. Also, no noticeable differences in the values of the KIDMED index were found among all regions of Greece, with the highest values in Attica and Crete, in both sexes.

CONCLUSIONS: As Greek schoolchildren do not fully adopt the traditional cardio-protective Mediterranean diet, it could be helpful to provide certain recommendations, especially for adolescents, to decrease the risk for future adverse health consequences.