Evaluation of BMI of secondary school students in terms of some variables

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate Body Mass Index (BMI) in Turkish adolescents who regularly participate in physical activity and sedentary adolescents. A total of 941 female and male students aged between 12-14 years were included in the study. 444 female and 497 male students studying at public primary schools of different socio-economic levels voluntarily participated in the study. 290 participants were chosen among those who regularly participating in physical activities at least four days a week. On the other hand, 651 participants were composed of sedentary individuals who did not regularly participate in physical activity and only took physical education class one hour a week. BMI classification was categorized as normal weight (<25), overweight (25-30), and obese (>30), and formulized as BMI=Bodyweight (kg) / square Height (m2). Data was collected by Personal Information Form. Statistical analysis of data was performed with Two-Way Variance Analysis, t-test for independent samples and Bonferroni Analysis for age variable in SPSS 15.0 packet software.  

The results obtained in the study showed that BMI increases in male and female students with age, and there is a significant difference between BMIs in terms of age and gender  (p<0.05). In addition, a significant difference was also detected in BMI values of adolescents who regularly participate in physical activity and sedentary adolescents (p<0.05).