ADHERENCE TO MEDITERRANEAN DIET AMONG ADOLESCENTS ATTENDING PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN NORTH LEBANON

The Mediterranean diet (MD) is a model of a healthy diet and healthy lifestyle. Adherence to the MD has been correlated with a reduction in many metabolic disorders including cancers. The factors associated with adolescents’ adherence to the MD in North Lebanon using the KIDMED index have never been explored. The objective of this study was to examine the factors associated with the Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence among a sample of Lebanese adolescents. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the city of Tripoli, North Lebanon. A total of 298 students, aged 11-18 years, were randomly selected from public schools in the area. All participants completed a questionnaire on the Mediterranean diet (KIDMED index), physical activity (physical activity questionnaires for older children [PAQ-C] and adolescents [PAQ-A]), health-related quality of life (KIDSCREEN-27 index), and sociodemographic characteristics (age, gender, grade level, and parents’ educational status). The questionnaire was followed by anthropometric measurements. Adherence to the MD was good among only 13.4% of the adolescents. The prevalence rate of overweight and obesity was elevated reaching 36.9% of the students. Lower adherence to the MD was significantly correlated with skipping meals (P=0.004) and consuming fewer meals with the family (

HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG ADOLESCENTS ATTENDING PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN NORTH LEBANON

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) describes a person’s subjective evaluation of his health and well-being. The HRQoL and its associated factors have not been investigated among Lebanese adolescents. The aim of this study is to examine the association between socio-demographic characteristics, eating habits, physical activity, adherence to Mediterranean diet, and HRQoL among Lebanese adolescents. A total of 283 students (158 males, 125 females), between ages 11 to 18, were randomly chosen from private schools in the city of Tripoli, North Lebanon. Standard anthropometric measurements were taken. The participants completed questionnaires on Mediterranean diet (KIDMED), physical activity (physical activity questionnaires for older children [PAQ-C] and adolescents [PAQ-A]), and health-related quality of life (KIDSCREEN-27). Results of this study reveal that obese adolescents tend to express a poorer HRQoL. In Contrast, being physically active improves their HRQoL scores

FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH SLEEP QUALITY AND DURATION AMONG BEIRUT ARAB UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Sleep is part of the everyday physiological rhythm that is vital for enhancing wellness and appropriate body functions. University students are vulnerable to sleep disturbance due to many factors that affect their sleep–wake behavior. No study has so far evaluated the association between sleep quality and duration and the health and nutritional status of Lebanese college students. Thus, the present study was designed to evaluate the sleep quality and duration of Beirut Arab University (BAU) students in North Lebanon and to examine associations with their nutritional status, sociodemographic, eating behaviors, lifestyles and health characteristics. To do so, a cross-sectional study was conducted among a sample of 288 students (168 males and 120 females) aged between 17 and 25 years who were registered in the Fall of 2018–2019 in Tripoli Campus, and randomly selected from the different faculties. Students completed a multi-component questionnaire. According to this study, more than half of BAU students had poor sleep quality (64.2%) and short sleep duration (71.5%). The multiple regression analysis revealed that employed students were 82% less likely to have poor sleep quality (ORadj: 0.181; 95% CI: 0.062–0.528) (