Breakfast Consumption Among Mexican American Adolescents

Abstract

Obesity prevalence is disproportionately higher among Mexican Americans (MA) than non‐Hispanic whites. Omitting breakfast (BKF) has been associated with risk for overweight and obesity, and teens are less likely to consume BKF than children. The aim of this study was to examine how BKF consumption among MA teens varied by gender, BMI and maternal BMI. We also analyzed whether nutrient intakes differed among teens who reported consuming BKF on three diet recalls (regular BKF eaters) v. those who missed 1–2 BKFs (irregular BKF eaters). Teens were selected from an ongoing cohort study of MA teens, and 112 completed three 24‐hr diet recalls. Those who never reported BKF, were pregnant or sick were excluded; final sample size=100, mean age 14 yrs. Boys were more likely to consume BKF than girls, but the difference was not significant. Regular BKF eaters did not differ from irregular BKF eaters by level of parental education, teen and maternal BMI percentile, nativity, smoking and exercise. Regular BKF eaters consumed more vitamin C, and less carbohydrate, sodium, cholesterol and phosphorous. Consistent with previous findings, girls were more likely to skip 1–2 BKFs than boys, and regular BKF eaters consumed more energy throughout the day than irregular BKF eaters, but these differences were not significant perhaps due to the small sample size. Further analysis will be conducted to determine BKF food eating patterns in MA teens.Grant Funding Source : NCI R01 CA105203