Breakfast skipping and its association with other unhealthy food habits among Greek high school adolescents

Abstract

SUMMARY
Background: Eating breakfast is an important habit for our
health. The recognition of high-risk groups for breakfast
skipping, especially during the transition period of
adolescence, is essential for the prevention of this unhealthy
habit. Objective: To determine the prevalence of breakfast
skipping in adolescents attending high school, in correlation
with nutritional status and socio-demographic factors, and
to identify possible association with other unhealthy food
habits. Subjects and methods: A sample of 513 high school
students was randomly selected from three areas: urban/
higher, urban/medium and urban/lower. All subjects
completed a questionnaire concerning various sociodemographic
characteristics and food habits. Body height
and weight were also measured and body mass index was
calculated. Results: The prevalence of breakfast skipping
was 29.4%. Breakfast skipping was more prevalent in older
adolescents, adolescents with fathers of low educational
level, adolescents living in the urban/lower area and of those
who were overweight/obese. Breakfast skippers consumed
salads, fruit, legumes and fishe less frequently than
breakfast eaters. They consumed meat, soft drinks and
alcohol more frequently. Also, they reported higher
frequency of out-meals. Conclusions: The prevalence of
breakfast skipping among Greek adolescents is quite high
and it is related to nutritional status and socio-demographic
factors. Breakfast skipping is associated with other
unhealthy food habits, suggesting a considerable negative influence on the food choices of adolescents.
Key words: Breakfast skipping, food habits, nutritional status,
socio-demographic factors, adolescence.