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Clinical and physical characteristics of thinness in adolescents: the HELENA study

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Abstract

Purpose

Thinness in adolescence has not been studied as extensively as overweight or obesity. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence, characteristics, and health impacts of thinness in a European adolescent population.

Methods

This study included 2711 adolescents (1479 girls, 1232 boys). Blood pressure, physical fitness, sedentary behaviors, physical activity (PA), and dietary intake were assessed. A medical questionnaire was used to report any associated diseases. A blood sample was collected in a subgroup of the population. Thinness and normal weight were identified using the IOTF scale. Thin adolescents were compared with adolescents of normal weight.

Results

Two hundred and fourteen adolescents (7.9%) were classified as being thin; the prevalence rates were 8.6% in girls and 7.1% in boys. Systolic blood pressure was significantly lower in adolescents with thinness. The age at the first menstrual cycle was significantly later in thin female adolescents than in those with normal weight. Upper-body muscular strength measured in performance tests and time spent in light PA were significantly lower in thin adolescents. The Diet Quality Index was not significantly lower in thin adolescents, but the percentage of adolescents who skipped breakfast was higher in adolescents with a normal weight (27.7% vs 17.1%). Serum creatinine level and HOMA-insulin resistance were lower and vitamin B12 level was higher in thin adolescents.

Conclusions

Thinness affects a notable proportion of European adolescents with no physical adverse health consequences.

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Data availability

Data are available upon reasonable request.

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Funding

The HELENA study is made possible by the financial support of the European Community Sixth RTD Framework Programme (Contract FOOD-CT-20056007034). The content of this paper reflects only the authors’ views, and the European Community is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Inserm, CHU Lille, U1286-INFINITE-Institute for Translational Research in Inflammation, Univ. Lille, 59000, Lille, France

    Jérémy Vanhelst, Laurent Béghin & Frédéric Gottrand

  2. Université Sorbonne Paris Nord and Université Paris Cité, INSERM, INRAE, CNAM, Center of Research in Epidemiology and StatisticS (CRESS), Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), F-93017, Bobigny, France

    Jérémy Vanhelst

  3. Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, CIC 1403-Clinical Investigation Center, 59000, Lille, France

    Laurent Béghin

  4. ULR 2694–METRICS: Evaluation des technologies de santé et des pratiques médicales, Univ. Lille, CHU Lille, 59000, Lille, France

    Elodie Drumez

  5. Department of Biostatistics, CHU Lille, 59000, Lille, France

    Elodie Drumez

  6. Department of Medical Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain

    Manuel J. Castillo

  7. Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Crete, 71500, Heraklion, Greece

    Anthony Kafatos

  8. Department of Pediatrics, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, 7624, Hungary

    Dénes Molnar

  9. Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090, Vienna, Austria

    Kurt Wildhalm

  10. Research Department of Child Nutrition, University Hospital of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44791, Bochum, Germany

    Mathilde Kersting

  11. ImFine Research Group, Department of Health and Human Performance, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Marcela Gonzales-Gross

  12. Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Bonn, 53115, Bonn, Germany

    Christina Breidenassel

  13. Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Food and Nutrition, Via Ardeatina 546, Rome, Italy

    Laura Censi

  14. Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University, P/A UZ 4K3, Corneel Heymanslaan 10, B-9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Stefaan De Henauw

  15. Growth, Exercise, Nutrition and Development (GENUD) Research Group, Universidad de Zaragoza, Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón (IA2), Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Aragón (IIS Aragón), Zaragoza, Spain

    Luis A. Moreno

  16. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain

    Luis A. Moreno

Authors
  1. Jérémy Vanhelst
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  2. Laurent Béghin
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  3. Elodie Drumez
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  4. Manuel J. Castillo
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  5. Anthony Kafatos
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  6. Dénes Molnar
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  7. Kurt Wildhalm
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  8. Mathilde Kersting
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  9. Marcela Gonzales-Gross
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  10. Christina Breidenassel
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  11. Laura Censi
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  12. Stefaan De Henauw
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  13. Luis A. Moreno
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  14. Frédéric Gottrand
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FG, SD, AK, KW, MK, MGG, and LM designed the research; JV, LB, MJC, AK, DM, CB, and KW conducted the research; ED analyzed data; JV, LB, and FG wrote the paper; ED analyzed data and performed statistical analysis; FG had primary responsibility for the final content. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Jérémy Vanhelst.

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Vanhelst, J., Béghin, L., Drumez, E. et al. Clinical and physical characteristics of thinness in adolescents: the HELENA study. Eur J Nutr 62, 1731–1742 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-023-03104-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-023-03104-0

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