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Social Development Measures Associated with Problem Behaviours and Weight Status in Australian Adolescents

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Abstract

During the adolescent years, substance use, anti-social behaviours and overweight/obesity are amongst the major public health concerns. We investigate if risk and protective factors associated with adolescent problem behaviours and substance use are also associated with weight status in young Australian adolescents. Data comes from the 2006 Healthy Neighbourhoods study, a cross-sectional survey of students attending primary (grade 6, mean age 11) and secondary (grade 8, mean age 12) schools in 30 communities across Australia. Adolescents were classified as not overweight, overweight or obese according to international definitions. Logistic and linear regression analyses, adjusted for age, gender and socio-economic disadvantage quartile, were used to quantify associations between weight status (or BMI z-score) and the cumulative number of problem behaviour risk and protective factors. Prevalence of overweight and obesity was 22.6 % (95 % confidence interval (CI), 21.2–24.0 %) and 7.2 % (CI, 6.3–8.3 %). Average number of risk and protective factors present was 4.0 (CI, 3.7–4.2) and 6.2 (CI, 6.1–6.3). Independently, total number of risk factors present was positively associated with likelihood of overweight and obesity, while number of protective factors present was inversely associated with the likelihood of being above a healthy weight. When both risk and protective factors were included in a regression model, only risk factors were associated with the likelihood of being overweight or obese. Average BMI z-score increased by 0.03 units with each additional risk factor present. Prevention programmes targeting developmental risk and protective factors in adolescents that reduce substance use and problem behaviours may also benefit physical health.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to acknowledge the research staff who worked on the project: Rachel Smith, Rosemary Austin, Jessica Palmer, Hannah Jeans and Janice Stenton. In particular, we thank the students who participated in the survey and their parents for consent to allow their child to take part and the Healthy Neighbourhoods study which was funded by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia (Project Grant No. 334304). GP is funded by an NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellowship.

Conflict of Interest

Co-authors Toumbourou and Patton declare that as Directors of Communities That Care Ltd., Australia, they have an interest in promoting the survey that was used in the study and evaluated in this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Adolescent Health, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia

    Joanne W. Williams, Louise Canterford, John W. Toumbourou & George C. Patton

  2. Department of Health and Social Development, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia

    Joanne W. Williams

  3. Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research and School of Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia

    Joanne W. Williams & John W. Toumbourou

  4. Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

    Joanne W. Williams, John W. Toumbourou & George C. Patton

  5. Population Health Studies of Adolescents, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia

    Joanne W. Williams, Louise Canterford, John W. Toumbourou & George C. Patton

  6. Social Development Research Group, School of Social Work, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA

    Richard F. Catalano

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  1. Joanne W. Williams
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Correspondence to Joanne W. Williams.

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Williams, J.W., Canterford, L., Toumbourou, J.W. et al. Social Development Measures Associated with Problem Behaviours and Weight Status in Australian Adolescents. Prev Sci 16, 822–831 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-015-0559-6

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