Background: Lifestyle encompasses, among other things, eating habits, physical activity, and the use of stimulants. Individual choices in this area have a direct impact on human health.
Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the lifestyle in adolescents and to verify whether there is a relationship between selected lifestyle elements and gender.
Materials and methods: A total of 304 students (160 women and 144 men) were included in the study. The study used an original questionnaire. Chi-square test was used to assess the correlations between gender and eating habits, physical activity and the use of stimulants among adolescents. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: The students surveyed usually have 4-5 meals daily at 3-4-hour intervals (50.33% and 53.8%, respectively). They consume confectionery up to several times a week (35.2%), as declared by more women than men (41.9% of women and 27.8% of men). Adolescents usually practise physical exercise several times a week (36.51%), as reported by 29.38% of women and 44.44% of men. Occasional alcohol consumption was reported by 44.38% of women and 42.4% of men. A total of 61.92% of respondents were non-smokers, as declared by more women than men.
Conclusions: The majority of adolescents lead an unhealthy lifestyle in terms of eating habits, alcohol consumption and smoking. Positive behaviours were observed for physical activity. Some lifestyle elements were correlated with gender. Women devote less time to physical activity compared to men. Men have a higher tendency to consume carbonated beverages and higher amounts of alcohol than women. The obtained research results indicate the need for health education.
Keywords: adolescents; eating habits; lifestyle.
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