Prevalence and socio-demographic distribution of eating, physical activity and sedentary behaviours among Australian adolescents

Abstract

Issue addressed: To examine the prevalence and socio-demographic distribution of adherence to national dietary and physical activity recommendations among Australian secondary school students. Methods: Cross-sectional survey of 12,188 students in Years 8 to 11 (aged 12-17 years). Students? self-reported eating, physical activity and sedentary behaviours were assessed using validated instruments administered via an online questionnaire. Results: Less than one-quarter of students (24%) reported meeting the daily requirement of at least four serves of vegetables, while 41% reported consuming the recommended three or more daily serves of fruit. Just 15% of students reported engaging in at least ..