[Comparison of Health-related Behavior Patterns of Boys and Girls in Germany: Results of the MoMo Study].

AIM OF THE STUDY: For optimal health promotion in adolescents, it is important to know their typical behavior patterns. The aims of this study were to identify and compare sex-specific health-related behavior patterns of adolescents in Germany.
METHODS: The KiGGS Survey and the MoMo Study assessed the health behavior of 832 boys and 811 girls by means of a questionnaire. The indices physical activity, diet quality and media use were included in cluster analyses for boys and girls separately.
RESULTS: For each sex, 4 clusters with similar characteristics on the three included indices were identified. However, cluster size, level of the characteristics and correlates were different in boys and girls: fewer girls showed high activity levels. Overall, physical activity and media use were less pronounced in the behavior pattern of girls. There was a stronger association of behavior patterns with socio-economic status in girls. In boys, behavior patterns were significantly associated with prevalence of overweight.
CONCLUSIONS: The similar cluster solutions for boys and girls support the assumption that there are typical health-related behavior patterns among German adolescents. This finding might facilitate the precise definition of homogeneous target groups for health promotion programs. Furthermore, it seems that sex-specific foci should be set. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.