Table 1.
Characteristics of the study participants
| Variable | Boys (n = 470) | Girls (n = 410) | P a |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) (mean ± SD) | 12.1 ± 0.3 | 12.1 ± 0.3 | 0.424 |
| Height (cm) (mean ± SD) | 151.9 ± 8.1 | 151.8 ± 5.9 | 0.764 |
| Weight (kg) (mean ± SD) | 42.9 ± 9.5 | 42.9 ± 8.1 | 0.887 |
| BMI (kg/m2) (mean ± SD) | 18.4 ± 2.9 | 18.6 ± 2.8 | 0.468 |
| Actual weight status (%) | |||
| Overweight | 15.7 | 10.0 | 0.012 |
| Non-overweight | 84.3 | 90.0 | |
| Only child (%) | 14.7 | 12.5 | 0.335 |
| Paternal employment (%) | 93.6 | 95.1 | 0.348 |
| Maternal employment (%) | 65.9 | 72.1 | 0.049 |
| Sports teams’ participation (%) | |||
| Yes | 79.1 | 48.7 | < 0.001 |
| No | 20.9 | 51.3 | |
| Skipping breakfast (%) | |||
| Yes | 0.6 | 2.0 | 0.080 |
| No | 99.4 | 98.0 | |
| Dinner time (%) | |||
| Regular | 89.3 | 93.6 | 0.023 |
| Non-regular | 10.7 | 6.4 | |
| Eats dinner alone (%) | |||
| None | 85.3 | 89.3 | 0.192 |
| 1–2 /week | 8.7 | 5.9 | |
| ≥3 /week | 6.0 | 4.9 | |
| Snacks after dinner (%) | |||
| Yes | 49.4 | 52.6 | 0.342 |
| No | 50.6 | 47.4 | |
| Eating speed (%) | |||
| Fast | 23.2 | 13.4 | < 0.001 |
| Medium | 59.9 | 62.1 | |
| Slow | 16.8 | 24.4 | |
| Eats until full (%) | |||
| Yes | 70.7 | 64.4 | 0.047 |
| No | 29.3 | 35.6 | |
SD standard deviation, BMI body mass index
aDetermined using the unpaired t-test or chi-squared test