Skipping breakfast and associated factors among Brazilian adolescents

Abstract

A B S T R A C T ObjectiveTo analyze the prevalence and factors associated with breakfast skipping among adolescents. MethodsCross-sectional study, with adolescents aged 10-17 years, evaluated between 2009 and 2011, belonging to a cohort study in the Central-West region of Brazil. Breakfast skipping was considered as not having breakfast every day. Demographic, socioeconomic, and lifestyle factors were evaluated through a questionnaire. Anthropometric assessment included measurement of weight and height, which were used to classify weight status using body mass index. Poisson regression was used to assess the association of breakfast skipping with demographic and socioeconomic variables, lifestyle factors, and weight status. ResultsAmong 1,716 Brazilian adolescents evaluated, 36.2% reported not consuming breakfast every day, with the highest prevalence among girls (p=0.03). After adjusting for age and economic class, breakfast skipping was associated with not consuming breakfast with parents and morning shift at school, in both genders, and with obesity only in boys. Lifestyle factors such as alcohol consumption, physical activity, diet quality, and smoking were not associated with skipping breakfast. Revista de NutriçãoRev. Nutri., Campinas, 30(5):615-626, set./out

Predictors of breakfast skipping among 14 to 16 years old adolescents in Jordan: The influential role of mothers

“…Furthermore, the present study revealed that girls skipped breakfast more than boys, which is congruent with the available evidence (Fiuza et al, ; Moreno‐Maldonado et al, ; Smith et al, ). Indeed, in our study, gender was among the significant predictors.…”

“…Among the demographics investigated in the present study, only gender proved to be a predictor of breakfast‐skipping behaviour among adolescents, thus confirming what Shaw () and Fiuza et al () found. Yet contrary to some earlier studies that found demographics such as family income, mothers' education, and a two‐parent family structure to be associated with adolescent eating habits (Lazzeri et al, ; Moreno‐Maldonado et al, ; Smith et al, ), the current study failed to capture these associations.…”

“…Our method of defining breakfast skipping is based on a random day assessment, informed by the understanding that this practice is habitual, and thus assessing it on a random day provides a more accurate estimate of its prevalence. This claim is supported by Fiuza et al () who found that 36.2% of adolescents skipped breakfast. The authors defined skipping breakfast as “not having breakfast every day.” In addition, our results are consistent with the literature, as reported by Deshmukh‐Taskar et al (), and data from the Middle East region provided by Musaiger ().…”

“…For adolescents, consuming breakfast regularly is important for ensuring healthy growth and development. On the other hand, abundant evidence links skipping breakfast to obesity (Fiuza, Muraro, Rodrigues, Sena, & Ferreira, ), poor diet ( Demissie, Eaton, Lowry, Nihiser, & Foltz, ), poor metabolic profiles (Marlatt et al, ), and poor academic achievement (Kang & Park, ). These findings highlight the importance of conducting further research on what is a nutritional health problem of global scale.…”

The omission of meals is associated with excess weight in adolescents

“…In the present study, a high percentage (42.6%) of breakfast omission stands out, higher than that found in other cities in Brazil 15,17,23,24,25,26,27 , but it is worth mentioning that no studies have been conducted in the North and Northeast regions. A study using data from the National School Health Survey (2012) found that 38% of adolescents did not eat breakfast regularly, which was associated with a higher likelihood of having other inappropriate eating habits, such as a diet low in fruits and vegetables and rich in sugars and fried foods 28 .…”