Selected Health Attitudes (Physical Activity and Nutrition) of 18-Year-Old Girls Graduating from Secondary Schools of Tricity

Abstract

Background: Abstract Shaping proper health attitudes in young people has an essential meaning for their health in the future. The age of youth is a period when pro-health attitudes set in and behaviours risky for health appear. Monitoring them is the starting point for planning prophylaxis programmes realised by schools. Health attitudes of girls completing their education in secondary schools was the subject of this study, and the main goal was to assess dependencies between the degree of intensity of health attitudes and nutritional behaviours, the level of physical activity and the value of the body mass index (BMI). Materials and methods: In the school year 2010/2011 research among randomly chosen pupils of secondary schools in Gdańsk was conducted. Basic anthropometric measurements of the studied 3rd grade schoolgirls (body height, body mass, evaluation of body composition) were carried out. A questionnaire consisting of 3 parts concerning health attitudes was the basic research tool. Results: Irregularities in nutritional behaviours in the studied schoolgirls were revealed, and in particular resignation from eating the first breakfast, insufficient consumption of vegetables and fruit. It was noticed that the level of physical activity investigated by IPAQ questionnaire is at a low level. The majority of girls showed a low or average level of health attitudes (HA). Conclusions: Learning about health attitudes will allow schools to diagnose these behaviours and to prepare proper programmes promoting health. ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR