Citation :

Ana Huamani-Huaracca, José Marroquín-Chanduvi, Sebastián Ramos-Cosi, Gina León-Untiveros, Alicia Alva-Mantari, "Attitude Towards Obesity, Physical Activity and Body Mass Index in Adolescents from a Public School in Lima, Peru," International Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology (IJETT), vol. 74, no. 4, pp. 209-224, 2026. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/22315381/IJETT-V74I4P116

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that there are currently 160 million adolescents with obesity in the world. In Peru, 25% of adolescents are overweight or obese, and between 73% and 84.6% perform little physical activity. In view of this reality, the present study aimed to determine the relationship between attitude towards obesity, physical activity, and Body Mass Index (BMI) in adolescents from a public school in Lima, Peru. With a quantitative, descriptive, correlational, and cross-sectional design, a sample of 296 adolescents was intervened on, using the Obesity Attitude Scale for Adolescents, the Youth Activity Profile-Latin America (YAP-SL), and anthropometric measurements for the calculation of BMI. The results revealed that 43.39% had a neutral attitude towards obesity, 46.96% had low physical activity, and 72.64% had a normal BMI. No significant correlations were found between attitude and BMI (Rho = 0.082, p = 0.162) or between physical activity and BMI (Rho = -0.007, p = 0.911). However, the automatic linear regression model identified significant predictors (p = 0.00) with an accuracy of up to 82.3 % for each of the variables. It is concluded that in order to improve the situation of adolescents, it is essential to strengthen programs aimed at healthy eating, physical activity, and emotional self-regulation in schools, also involving teachers and parents.

Keywords

Attitude towards obesity, Healthy eating, Physical activity, Body Mass Index, Adolescents.

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