Year: 2024 | Month: April-June | Volume: 9 | Issue: 2 | Pages: 310-322
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijshr.20240241
Lifestyle Practices of Adolescents in a Tertiary Care Centre in India
Esther Kanthi1, Ananthi Ebenezer2, Reshmi YS3, Jansi Rani4, Mona Basker5
1Associate Professor, Paediatric Nursing, College of Nursing, Christian Medical College, Vellore
2Staff Nurse, Paediatric Nursing, Christian Medical College, Vellore
3Assistant Professor, Paediatrics III, Christian Medical College, Vellore
4Senior Demonstrator, Department of Biostatistics, Christian Medical College, Vellore
5Professor & Head, Paediatrics III, Christian Medical College, Vellore
Corresponding Author: Esther Kanthi
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Adolescents are individuals in the 10–19year age group; there are 253 million adolescents in India. Growth and development are predominant during adolescence, a relatively healthy time. Good diet, physical activity, sleep, and screen time are pillars of good health.
Aims & Objectives: To identify lifestyle practices such as diet, physical activity, sleep, and screen time among adolescents in the outpatient and inpatient services, Departments of Paediatrics and Paediatric Surgery, Christian Medical College, Vellore.
Methods: A descriptive study design employing a non-probability purposive sampling technique was used to recruit 1420 adolescents. Written consent and assent were obtained, demographic and clinical variables were collected using interviews, and the lifestyle practice was assessed using a modified YRBS questionnaire.
Results: 70.8% of the adolescents were in the age group of 10-14 years; males and females were almost equal (46.2 and 53.8%), 73.6% lived in nuclear families, and 19.4% had a BMI of 23 adult equivalent. Regarding diet in the past 7 days, 41.3% did not consume green/vegetable salads, and 89.7% of the adolescents ate breakfast daily, but the meals of 81.4% did not contain 25% carbohydrates. 42.2% did not meet the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity, and 51% were not a part of any sports team in the past year. Most (33.8%) of the adolescents slept for about 8 hours during the school days, but 68% reported difficulty falling asleep. Most participants (58.7% and 59.2%) stopped screentime just before sleep on weekdays and weekends.
Conclusion: Adolescence is when lifestyle behaviours that affect present and future health begin. Therefore, helping adolescents establish healthy lifestyles and avoid developing health risk behaviours is crucial and should be started before these behaviours are firmly established.
Keywords: Adolescents, Lifestyle, Diet, Physical Activity, Sleep, Screen time.