Self-image and Life-satisfaction Associated with Use of Sweets in Kuwait

Objectives: The aim was to find out if self-image and life-satisfaction are associated with regular use of sweets among Kuwaiti schoolchildren. Methods: A sample of 2,312 schoolchildren between 11- and 13-year-olds filled a structured questionnaire anonymously in school classrooms during the school year 2002/2003. Representative samples of children from all six governorates of Kuwait were drawn into the study. Only government schools were included. Questionnaire of the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children, a WHO Collaborative Study (HBSC study) was used after modification to Kuwait and translated and back-translated from English to Arabic. Chi-square test and logistic regression model were used for analysing the data. Results: A large proportion (42%) of children reported to use sweets several times a day. The children who reported not to be happy consumed sweets more often than the others (p=0.009); as well as those children who often felt lonely, were nervous daily, found school as boring (p<0.001), skipped classes sometimes (p=0.011), and who felt to be too thin (p=0.007). Those who felt always self-confident (p=0.033), enjoyed always being at school (p<0.001), felt that other students accepted him/her (p=0.001), and felt good looking (p=0.052) also used sweets more often than the others. According to the logistic model, the strongest risk factor for more-than-once-a-day sugar consumption was feeling nervous daily (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.70-2.94), feeling bored at school (1.5, 1.15-1.93), and ‘being very good looking' (1.4, 1.03-1.79). Conclusions: While the consumption of sweets is very common among children in Kuwait, the results were contradicting. Both positive and negative issues concerning self-image and low life-satisfaction were associated with sweets consumption. Low health awareness might partly explain the contradicting results. Acknowledgement: This study was supported by Kuwait University Research Grant No. [DD1/02].