Eating habits, body mass and saliva microbiota in Finnish adolescents

• Main Author: Viljakainen-Diop, Jannina
• Other Authors: Lissner, Lauren, University of Helsinki, Faculty of Medicine, Doctoral Program in Population Health, Folkhälsanin tutkimuskeskus, Helsingin yliopisto, lääketieteellinen tiedekunta, Väestön terveyden tohtoriohjelma, Helsingfors universitet, medicinska fakulteten, Doktorandprogrammet i befolkningshälsan, Rounge, Trine, Figueiredo, Rejane, Roos, Eva
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Helsingin yliopisto 2020
• Subjects: lääketieteellinen tiedekunta; Northern Finland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10138/318911

Healthy eating habits, such as the consumption of fruits and vegetables and eating regular meals, reduce the risk of being overweight and obese in childhood as well as other noncommunicable diseases. However, eating habits have been examined only to a limited extent in Finland, such that further and updated information on eating habits and body mass is needed among adolescents. Healthy eating habits maintain health. Moreover, dietary choices and food timing shape the gut microbiota, although less is known about their relevance to saliva microbiota. This study aims to: 1) identify the eating habits of Finnish adolescents; 2) examine the associations between eating habits and body mass; and 3) examine the associations between eating habits and the saliva microbial diversity and composition. The study dataset consisted of 9- to 14-year-old Finnish adolescents participating in the Finnish Health in Teens (Fin-HIT) study between 2011 and 2014. Study I and study II consisted of 10 569 participants from 496 schools in 44 municipalities in southern, middle, and northern Finland. Study III included 842 randomly selected participants from the Fin-HIT study. These participants answered a web-based questionnaire on an electronic tablet. The questionnaire assessed lifestyle factors, such as diet and eating-related health behaviours. Participants also provided unstimulated saliva samples and trained fieldworkers measured their height and weight in a standardised way in school. Measurements used to calculate body mass index (BMI). BMI was categorised as underweight, normal weight and overweight or obese. The results from the current study identified three eating habit groups in adolescents: ‘healthy eaters’ (4 661; 44.1%), ‘unhealthy eaters’ (1 298; 12.3%) and ‘fruit and vegetable avoiders’ (4610; 43.6%). Healthy eaters most frequently ate a regular breakfast and other meals (lunch and dinner) and had parents with a high education level. Unhealthy eaters, however, most frequently ate breakfast and other meals irregularly and ...