Despite what many researchers speculate, older teens who are physically active do not particularly eat healthier than their more sedentary peers.

The research displayed that body mass index (BMI) values and physical activity levels seemed to have no correlation.

A study of nine hundred Vancouver teenagers (Grades 10 - 12) was conducted by Dr. Catherine Sabiston (McGrill University) and P.R.E. Crocker (University of British Columbia). This study was conducted in Vancouver while Dr. Sabiston was still a PhD students at UBC and it's results were published earlier this year in the Journal Of Adolescent Health.

The study showed us for the most part that young men were more physically active but less health-conscious in their dietary choices than young women were. Additionally, and contrary to popular belief in this area, we found that those who had what were considered to be more favorable BMI readings didn’t tend to be any more active than their higher-values counterparts. Surprisingly, it was the ones with the higher numbers who tended to eat foods which were more nutritionally sound.

It takes many people aback, but if you give it thoughtful consideration, one’s Body Mass Index doesn’t seem to have much effect on one’s activity level. When it comes to what we eat, it would certainly seem that anyone with a poor body image might attempt to work at improving his or her diet.

"An unrepresented group in most research studies is that of the older adolescent, first of all," Sabiston said. "This unique age group that isn't quite old enough for university and older than the youths usually focused on by researchers has been almost entirely overlooked. "Also," Sabiston continued, "rarely do researchers look at the similarities and differences of physical activiy combined with healthy eating simultaneously. They instead choose to treat them as totally separate phenomena."

Partially in reponse to two perceived faults in existing research, a study was conceived to test a comprehensive model of healthy nutrition and physical acivicty, in teens between 15 and 18 years of age. Sabiston reports that the results show almost no link between someone's level of physical activity and that persons BMI. The results also show a very weak link between healthy eating and physical activity. Sabiston is the director of McGill's Health Behaviour and Emotion lab.

Sabiston explains that the study actually indicates that being physically active does not necessarily lead to eating healthily nor does being sedentary or having a high BMI indicate poor eating habits.

As a society, we care more about the outward things, such as the way we look or how much we weigh rather than improving our health, and this study just proves that,"" Sabiston said. ""The focus of those in the public health field should therefore probably focus on people who are not overweight which would help emphasize that healthy eating isn't simply about changing our weight."