Background/Aims:
Modifiable lifestyle behaviours are associated with excess weight in young people, yet there is a lack of regular monitoring of adolescents’ diet and activity behaviours at a national level in Australia. The present study aimed to (i) provide current population estimates of Australian secondary students’ adherence to national dietary, physical activity and sedentary recreational screen time recommendations, (ii) examine whether compliance levels varied according to socio-demographic factors, and (iii) assess if there have been significant changes in these behaviours over the last 15 years.
Methods:
National cross-sectional surveys of secondary students aged 12-17 years were conducted in 2009/10 (n=13,790), 2012/13 (n=10,309), 2018 (n=9,102) and 2022/23 (n=8,577) using validated instruments administered via a self-report web-based questionnaire. Prevalence estimates were calculated using population weighted data adjusted for the clustering of students within schools.
Results:
In 2022/23, only 12% of students reported eating the recommended ≥5 daily serves of vegetables, whereas almost three-quarters (72%) reported consuming the recommended ≥2 daily serves of fruit. One in five students reported engaging in recommended levels of physical activity (≥60 minutes/day) in the past week, while adherence to the screen time guideline (≤2 hours/day) was low on both school days (19%) and weekend days (12%). Compliance with physical activity recommendations was higher among males and declined as students progressed through secondary school. Overall, there was a significant increase between 2009/10 and 2022/23 in the proportion of students meeting physical activity recommendations (15% vs. 20%); however, adherence to screen time recommendations decreased over this same period.
Conclusions:
These findings highlight the need for greater investment in school-based as well as wider community and environmental policy and educational initiatives, to better support Australian secondary students in engaging in healthy lifestyle behaviours. Particular focus on strategies to boost vegetable consumption and reallocate screen time to physical activity are warranted.