Sleep hours and nutritional habits against overweight in adolescents: Spain versus Argentina

Introduction: Obesity in adolescence has been increasing over the years, which is a challenge in public health. Objective: To determine the association degree of sleep and eating habits as determinants of obesity in adolescents in a European and South American country. Materials and methods: The study was conducted in a sample of 272 adolescents, 164 Spanish and 108 Argentines, aged 11-16 years. Sleep duration, adherence to the Mediterranean diet by KIDMED index, eating habits and anthropometry study for body composition was studied. Results: 42% of Argentina’s sample had excess weight, 53.3% normal weight and 4.8% underweight. In Spain, 39% was overweight or obese, 54.3% normal weight and 6.7% underweight. The Spanish sample had better adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Regarding sleep duration, significant differences were reflected: 18% of Spanish adolescents and 57% of Argentines came to sleep 8 hours a day. No statistically significant relationship between hours of sleep and nutrition in overweight or obese adolescents was found. Those who were closest to a Mediterranean diet eating habits had better BMI values. Conclusions: In general, Argentine teenagers had worse eating habits and greater excess weight than Spanish sample