Weight excess among high-school students: Relation with mental health and sociodemographic factors

Introduction: The escalating prevalence of adolescent obesity represents a complex public health challenge, influenced by interactions of environmental, socio-economic, and behavioral factors. Recent studies reveal a surge in addictive substance use among adolescents, with non-substance addictions. Overweight adolescents are particularly susceptible to risky behaviors. Tunisia is not exempt from this issue, facing a rapidly increasing prevalence. Aim: Our work aimed to assess the prevalence of obesity among adolescents and to explore the connections between sociodemographic factors, mental health, and overweight in this demographic group. Methods: A cross-sectional study was led among sample of Tunisian high school adolescents from Sousse. We enrolled study participants through proportional stratified sampling. Results: Our study included 1399students, predominantly female, with an average age of 17±1.5 years. The average BMI (Body Mass Index) was 22.7±4.1 kg/m². According to the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF), 20.4% were overweight, and 7% were obese, resulting in an overall weight excess prevalence of 27.4%. Girls exhibited a higher weight excess prevalence compared to boys. Multivariate analysis identified factors associated with overweight and obesity, including maternal self-employment(aOR=2.13,1.35-3.35;p<0.001), regular physical activity (aOR=0.61,0.47-0.8;p<0.001), internet usage ≥2 hours (aOR=0.70,0.50-0.99;p=0.045), daily fruit-vegetable consumption (aOR=1.51,1.15-1.97; p=0.003), possible alexithymia (aOR=1.55,1.07-2.22;p=0.018), probable anxiety (aOR=1.28,0.87-1.89; p=0.007), very probable anxiety (aOR=1.61,1.14-2.2; p=0.037), and problematic Facebook-use (aOR=0.67,0.50-0.89; p=0.006). Conclusion: Understanding factors tied to excess weight in our social and cultural context is crucial in shaping effective public health strategies. Interventions should adopt a multisectoral approach specifically targeting working mothers within the adolescent's socio-familial environment .....( abstract truncated at 250 words).