2.2.2. Behavioral Factors

Healthy lifestyle priorities. Youth were asked to indicate how much they care about (1) eating healthy food and (2) staying fit and exercising [34]. The following two items: How much do you care about eating healthy food? and How much do you care about staying fit and exercising? were used to construct an index that ranges from 1 to 4, with 4 being the highest level of interest in maintaining a healthy lifestyle (Cronbach's α = 0.59).

Physically active. Physical activity was assessed with a single item that asks youth to rate their physical activity level compared to others their age. Compared with most boys/girls your age, would you say that you are: (3) More active, (2) less active, (1) about the same, (0) not sure? The response for this item is on a 0–3 point scale, with a higher score indicating that youth consider themselves to be more physically active than their peers [51].

Fast food consumption. An index was constructed using three items: During the past 7 days, how many times did you eat French fries, sweets, chips, or other foods sometimes called "junk food"? How many times in the past 7 days did you eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner from a "fast food" restaurant? and We have "junk food" in my home. A 1 to 5 scale was used, with higher scores suggesting a higher consumption of fast foods (Cronbach's α = 0.73) [34].

Eats breakfast. A breakfast index was created using two items to classify respondents as having eaten breakfast or not based on a yes–no response (1 = no, 2 = yes): Did you eat breakfast today? and I ate breakfast at home. (Cronbach's α = 0.58) [34,52].

Weight control behaviors. Participants were asked if they engaged in any of the following weight control behaviors in the past 30 days to lose or keep from gaining weight: (1) Exercise, (2) eating less food, fewer calories, or low-fat foods, (3) fasting, (4) taking diet pills, powders, or liquids [49,52]. A weight control index was created using the following four items based on yes–no responses (1 = no, 2 = yes): During the past 30 days, did you exercise to lose weight or keep from gaining weight?; During the past 30 days, did you eat less food, fewer calories, or foods low in fat to lose weight or keep from gaining weight?; During the past 30 days, did you go without eating for 24 h or more (also called fasting) to lose weight or to keep from gaining weight?; and During the past 30 days, did you take any diet pills, powders, or liquids without a doctor's advice to lose weight or to keep from gaining weight? (Cronbach's α = 0.37).

Restrained eating behaviors. Ten items from the Dutch eating behavior questionnaire (DEBQ) were used to assess restrained eating behaviors [45]. The index score ranges from 1 to 5, with 5 indicating a higher frequency of restrained eating practices.
