Leisure activities and obesity in adolescence : a follow-up study among twins

The aims of this dissertation were 1) to investigate associations of weight status of adolescents with leisure activities, and computer and cell phone use, and 2) to investigate environmental and genetic influences on body mass index (BMI) during adolescence. Finnish twins born in 1983–1987 responded to postal questionnaires at the ages of 11-12 (5184 participants), 14 (4643 participants), and 17 years (4168 participants). Information was obtained on weight and height, leisure activities including television viewing, video viewing, computer games, listening to music, board games, musical instrument playing, reading, arts, crafts, socializing, clubs, sports, and outdoor activities, as well as computer and cell phone use. Activity patterns were studied using latent class analysis. The relationship between leisure activities and weight status was investigated using logistic and linear regression. Genetic and environmental effects on BMI were studied using twin modeling. Of individual leisure activities, sports were associated with decreased overweight risk among boys in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, but among girls only cross-sectionally. Many sedentary leisure activities, such as video viewing (boys/girls), arts (boys), listening to music (boys), crafts (girls), and board games (girls), had positive associations with being overweight. Computer use was associated with a higher prevalence of overweight in cross-sectional analyses. However, musical instrument playing, commonly considered as a sedentary activity, was associated with a decreased overweight risk among boys. Four patterns of leisure activities were found: ‘Active and sociable’, ‘Active but less sociable’, ‘Passive but sociable’, and ‘Passive and solitary’. The prevalence of overweight was generally highest among the ‘Passive and solitary’ adolescents. Overall, leisure activity patterns did not predict overweight risk later in adolescence. An exception were 14-year-old ‘Passive and solitary’ girls who had the greatest risk of becoming overweight by 17 years of age. Heritability of BMI was high (0.58-0.83). Common environmental factors shared by family-members affected the BMI at 11-12 and 14 years but their effect had disappeared by 17 years of age. Additive genetic factors explained 90-96% of the BMI stability across adolescence. Genetic correlations across adolescence were high, which suggests similar genetic effects on BMI throughout adolescence, while unique environmental effects on BMI appeared to vary. These findings suggest that family-based interventions hold promise for obesity prevention into early and middle adolescence, but that later in adolescence obesity prevention should focus on individuals. A useful target could be adolescents' leisure time, and our findings highlight the importance of versatility in leisure activities.

Reproduction of photograph of Kaufman and Rosenberg family portrait on the occasion of the wedding of Ludwig Rosenberg and Paula Rosenberg nee Joseph (left); Hamburg.

Includes Ludwig Rosenberg and Paula Rosenberg nee Joseph (left), Thekla (Tekie) Joseph (standing center), Karl Kaufman and Else Kaufman (right)

Schoenewald family portrait; Bad Nauheim, Germany.

Includes Rosi Schoenewald (sister of Dora), Dora Schoenewald (wife of Alfred Apfel and mother of Hannah Busoni), Henni Apfel, Tilly Schoenewald, Luise Schoenewald, Max Schoenewald (brother of Dora), Felix Schoenewald (brother of Dora), Samuel Schoenewald (brother of Dora), and Gerhardt Schoenewald

Family portrait with six unidentified men and women around a dining table holding up large glasses of beer.

Handwritten caption: Es war einmal (Once upon a time there was)

Herz? family studio portrait.

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Portrait of Wladimir Eliasberg with his eldest daughter Eva Eliasberg (later Chava Hareli); Vienna Portraits Family

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Family portrait of siblings Wladimir, Rosa, Lena and Georg Eliasberg; New York Portraits Family

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Samuel Eliasberg in a park with his son Georg Eliasberg; Berlin Portraits Family

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Rieser family portrait on the steps of an unidentified building Portraits Family

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Gans family portraits on Delft platter Portraits Family

Top row: Alexander Gans and his wife

Strauss family portrait; Würzburg.

Seated front center is grandmother Ernestine Strauss nee Uhlfelder (died before 1914, second wife of Leopold (Laemmle) Strauss) surrounded by six grandchildren; Benno Strauss is standing far left

Studio portrait of the women of the Oppenheimer family.

l-r: Thekla Oppenheimer-Benedick, Jenny Oppenheimer-Frank, Fanny Oppenheimer and Adele Oppenheimer-Nathan

Studio portrait of the women of the Oppenheimer family.

l-r: Sisters Adele Oppenheimer-Nathan, Thekla Oppenheimer-Benedick, Jenny Oppenheimer-Frank and their mother Fanny Oppenheimer