The Correlation between Junk Food Consumption and Health-Related Physical Fitness Factors in 10 - 12 Years Students of Kamyaran, Iran

Background: The consumption of junk food among children and adults is increasing, which can affect their general health. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between junk food consumption and health-related physical fitness factors in Kamyaran students. Methods: Based on Morgan's tablet, a total of 309 subjects volunteered to participate in this study, out of 1514 students aged 10 - 12 years in Kamyaran city. The studied schools were selected by the multi-stage cluster method. The mean and standard deviation of the subjects’ age, height, and weight were 11.26 ± 0.68 years, 144.27 ± 4.75 cm, and 39.36 ± 8.01 kg, respectively. This study assessed height, weight, and body mass index based on the cut-off BMI National Health and Nutrition Survey. The physical fitness factors of students were measured according to standard tests. The researcher developed a questionnaire to assess the consumption of junk food. Cronbach’s alpha of this questionnaire was 0.78. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate the mean and standard deviation of the data. Spearman correlation was used to examine the correlation of variables. Results: There was a significant inverse correlation between junk food consumption and health-related physical fitness factors (P < 0.05), but there was a direct and significant correlation between junk food consumption and body mass index (P < 0.05). There was a significant correlation between junk food consumption, nutritional knowledge, and behavior in the subjects (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant correlation between junk food consumption and healthy attitude in the subjects (P < 0.05). Conclusions: According to our results, parents and policymakers should pay more attention to health and physical activity in schools and society.