Co-existence of physical activity (pa) and other energy-balance related behaviours among adolescents participating in pa intervention in Poland

The aim of this study was to identify clusters based on four energy – balance related behaviours (EBRBs) – moderatevigorous physical activity, screen time, breakfast consumption and sweet drinks consumption – among adolescents participating in a governmental programme to increase their sport participation. The study was a part of the monitoring and evaluation process of a nationwide sport intervention in Poland. The sample consisted of 367 participants (180 females and 187 males, mean age 15.18 ±1.67). Data was self-reported. Based on combination of cluster analysis, a five-cluster solution was found the most suitable. Some patterns of EBRBs were similar to the results obtained in previous studies conducted on the general population on, for example “sedentarysnacking” or “all-round-healthy” clusters. The amount of the clusters which accumulated most of the negative or positive behaviours were small, and most clusters presented a mix of behavioural patterns influencing energy balance in both positive and negative ways. The structure of the clusters differed based on adolescents’ gender and, for male participants, fathers’ education (p < 0.05).