Regular family breakfast was associated with children's overweight and parental education: Results from the ENERGY cross-sectional study

Maternal mental health is associated with children's frequency of family meals at 12 and 24 months of age

Diet during the child's first years is important for growth and development. In toddlerhood, higher diet quality is reported among children eating meals together with family. Although previous literature has documented several associations between maternal mental health and early child feeding practices, less is known about the relationship between maternal mental health and child frequency of shared family meals. This study explores associations between maternal symptoms of anxiety and depression, measured by The Hopkins Symptoms Checklist (SCL-8), and toddler participation in family meals. We used cross-sectional data from the Norwegian study Early Food for Future Health, in which participants responded to questionnaires at child age 12 (n = 455) and 24 months (n = 295). Logistic regression was used to explore associations between maternal mental health and child having regular (≥5 per week) or irregular (<5 per week) family meals (breakfast and dinner), adjusting for relevant child and maternal confounding variables. Children of mothers with higher scores of anxiety and depression had higher odds of Irregular family meals at both timepoints; (OR: 2.067, p = 0.015) and (OR: 2.444, p = 0.023). This is one of few studies exploring associations between maternal mental health and child frequency of shared family meals in early childhood, a period where the foundation for life-long health is shaped. Given the high prevalence of mental ailments and disorders, these findings are important and may inform future public health interventions. Further exploration of this relation is needed, including longitudinal research to test predictive associations and qualitative studies to increase insight and understanding.

The effect of breakfast on childhood obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective

Previous cohort trials have shown that skipping breakfast increases the risk of obesity or overweight in children. However, this finding remains controversial. Through a meta-analysis, this study systematically evaluated the effect of skipping breakfast on the prevalence of obesity or overweight in children.

Methods

We performed a literature search for studies published until March 19, 2023. using the Cochrane, PubMed, and Embase databases. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, observational studies on the relationship between skipping breakfast and overweight/obesity in children and adolescents were analyzed. Three investigators independently screened the relevant literature, extracted the data, and assessed the risk of bias. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). A random-effects model was used. The odds ratio (OR) with its 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to indicate the effect size.

Results

A total of 40 retrospective studies with 323,244 children ranging in age from 2 to 20 years were included in this study. The results of this meta-analysis showed that children and adolescents who skipped breakfast had a significantly higher prevalence of obesity or overweight than those who ate breakfast (OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.33-1.90; P < 0.001). Skipping breakfast was positively associated with overweight in children and adolescents (OR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.23-1.54; P < 0.001). Similarly, skipping breakfast was positively associated with obesity in children and adolescents (OR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.30-1.76; P < 0.001). The effect was also different by sex, with girls being the most affected (OR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.23-1.76; P < 0.001). There was also a correlation between skipping breakfast and abdominal obesity in children (OR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.55-0.77; P < 0.001).

Conclusion

This meta-analysis suggested that skipping breakfast is associated with an increased risk of overweight/obesity in children and adolescents. The findings provide support for a possible protective role of breakfast against excessive weight gain in children and adolescents. However, more rigorous study designs with validated and standardized measures of relevant variables are needed.

Unhealthy lifestyles and clusters status among 3637 adolescents aged 11-23 years: a school-based cross-sectional study in China

BACKGROUND

Unhealthy lifestyles are risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and tend to be clustered, with a trajectory that extends from adolescence to adulthood. This study investigated the association of diets, tobacco, alcohol, physical activity (PA), screen time (ST) and sleep duration (SD) in a total of six lifestyles, separately and as cumulative lifestyle scores, with sociodemographic characteristics among school-aged adolescents in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou.

METHODS

In the aggregate, 3,637 adolescents aged 11-23 years were included in the study. The questionnaire collected data on socio-demographic characteristics and lifestyles. Healthy and unhealthy lifestyles were identified and scored, depending on the individual score (0 and 1 for healthy and unhealthy lifestyles respectively), with a total score between 0 and 6. Based on the sum of the dichotomous scores, the number of unhealthy lifestyles was calculated and divided into three clusters (0-1, 2-3, 4-6). Chi-square test was used to analyze the group difference of lifestyles and demographic characteristics, and multivariate logistic regression was used to explore the associations between demographic characteristics and the clustering status of unhealthy lifestyles.

RESULTS

Among all participants, the prevalence of unhealthy lifestyles was: 86.4% for diet, 14.5% for alcohol, 6.0% for tobacco, 72.2% for PA, 42.3% for ST and 63.9% for SD. Students who were in university, female, lived in country (OR = 1.725, 95% CI: 1.241-2.398), had low number of close friends (1-2: OR = 2.110, 95% CI: 1.428-3.117; 3-5: OR = 1.601, 95% CI: 1.168-2.195), and had moderate family income (OR = 1.771, 95% CI: 1.208-2.596) were more likely to develop unhealthy lifestyles. In total, unhealthy lifestyles remain highly prevalent among Chinese adolescents.

CONCLUSION

In the future, the establishment of an effective public health policy may improve the lifestyle profile of adolescents. Based on the lifestyle characteristics of different populations reported in our findings, lifestyle optimization can be more efficiently integrated into the daily lives of adolescents. Moreover, it is essential to conduct well-designed prospective studies on adolescents.

Prevalence of Breakfast Skippers among Tunisian Preschool and School Children and Association with Weight Status: A Cross-Sectional Study

Breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day. This study aimed to assess breakfast frequency and quality in Tunisian children and to determine the relationship between breakfast skipping and the weight status of the children. A total of 1200 preschool and school children aged 3 to 9 years were randomly selected under a cross-sectional design. Breakfast habits and socio-economic characteristics were collected using a questionnaire. Participants who consumed breakfast less than five times the previous week were categorized as breakfast skippers. The other breakfast consumers were considered as non-skippers. The overall prevalence of breakfast skipping in Tunisian children was 8.3% and 83% of them consumed breakfast all the weekdays. At least two out of three children had a poor breakfast quality. Only 1% of children consumed breakfast in accordance with the composition guidelines. No relationships between breakfast skipping and weight status were detected in this study after adjustment for age, sex and all socio-economic factors (OR = 1.16, 95% CI = 0.72-1.89, p = 0.541). Further school-based interventions should be implemented to improve breakfast quality and to promote a healthy weight in Tunisian children.

Breakfast habits, sedentary behavior, and suicide among Korean adolescents: A cross-sectional national study

This study aims to identify the relationships between breakfast habits, leisure-time sedentary behavior, and suicidal behaviors among Korean adolescents, including the mediating effect of leisure-time sedentary behavior on the relationship between breakfast habits and suicidal behaviors. We conducted a cross-sectional national study using secondary data from the 2017-2019 (13-15th) Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Surveys, analyzing data from a final sample of 153,992 Korean adolescents using multivariate logistic regression. No breakfast habits were statistically significantly related to suicidal ideation (crude OR [COR], 95% CI = 1.218, 1.172-1.265), suicidal plans (COR, 95% CI = 1.305, 1.228-1.385), and suicide attempts (COR, 95% CI = 1.533, 1.432-1.642). The effects of breakfast habits (independent variable) on suicidal behaviors (outcome variables) were mediated by leisure-time sedentary behavior (mediating variable). Leisure-time sedentary behavior had a statistically significant indirect effect on breakfast habits and suicidal behaviors (p < 0.05). The mediating effect size of breakfast habits mediated by leisure-time sedentary behavior was 3.46% for suicidal ideation, 2.48% for suicidal plans, and 1.06% for suicide attempts. Adolescents who did not consume breakfast demonstrated a significantly higher possibility of suicidal ideation, suicidal plans, and suicide attempts. Parents and teachers should be aware of and monitor adolescents' leisure-time sedentary behavior and breakfast habits to prevent suicidal behavior among this age group.

Pathways of Parental Education on Children's and Adolescent's Body Mass Index: The Mediating Roles of Behavioral and Psychological Factors

Aim

The increasing body mass index (BMI) often followed by overweight and obesity is a global health problem of the 21st century. Children and adolescents with lower socioeconomic status are more affected than their counterparts. The mechanisms behind these differences must be well understood to develop effective prevention strategies. This analysis aims at examining the association of parental education as an indicator of the socioeconomic status on children's and adolescent's body mass index and the role of behavioral and psychological risk factors for a higher BMI longitudinally.

Methods

The analysis was based on a nationwide sample of N = 460 children and adolescents, aged 11 to 17 at baseline (2009-2012), who took part in the representative BELLA study, the mental health module of the German National Health Interview and Examination Survey among Children and Adolescents (KiGGS). A follow-up was conducted 5 years later. Using mediation analyses, the mediating effects of breakfast consumption, consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, screen time, physical activity, mental health problems (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire), and health-related quality of life (KIDSCREEN-10) on the association of parent's years of education on their children's BMI were investigated.

Results

A lower level of parental education was significantly associated with a higher BMI in children and adolescents 5 years later. The association was partially mediated by breakfast consumption and total screen time, with breakfast consumption mediating 16.7% and total screen time 27.8% of the association. After controlling for age, gender, and migration status, only breakfast consumption remained a partial mediator (8.5%). Other included variables had no mediating effects.

Conclusions

Preventive measures should be mainly targeted at children and adolescents of parents with lower educational levels. Tailored strategies to prevent the development of overweight and obesity in this population among children and adolescents should promote daily breakfast consumption at home and reducing screen time.

Parental phone use during mealtimes with toddlers and the associations with feeding practices and shared family meals: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Positive parental feeding practices and a higher frequency of family meals are related to healthier child dietary habits. Parents play an essential role when it comes to the development of their child's eating habits. However, parents are increasingly distracted by their mobile phone during mealtimes. The aim of this study was to describe the feeding practices and daily shared family meals among parents who use and do not use a mobile phone during mealtimes, and further to explore the associations between the use of a mobile phone during mealtimes and feeding practices and daily shared family meals, respectively.

METHODS

Cross-sectional data from the Food4toddler study were used to explore the association between mobile use during meals and parental feeding practices including family meals. In 2017/2018 parents of toddlers were recruited through social media to participate in the study. In total 298 out of 404 who volunteered to participate, filled in a baseline questionnaire, including questions from the comprehensive feeding practices questionnaire (CFPQ), questions of frequency of family meals and use of mobile phone during meals.

RESULTS

Herein, 4 out of 10 parents reported various levels of phone use (meal distraction) during mealtimes. Parental phone use was associated with lower use of positive parental feeding practices like modelling (B = - 1.05 (95% CI -1.69; - 0.41)) and family food environment (B = - 0.77 (95% CI -1.51; - 0.03)), and more use of negative parental feeding practices like emotional regulation (B = 0.73 (95% CI 0.32; 1.14)) and the use of pressure to eat (B = 1.22 (95% CI 0.41; 2.03)). Furthermore, parental phone use was associated with a lower frequency of daily family breakfast (OR = 0.50 (95% CI 0.31; 0.82)) and dinner (OR = 0.57 (95% CI 0.35; 0.93)).

CONCLUSIONS

Mobile phone use is common among parents during mealtimes, and findings indicate that parental phone use is associated with less healthy feeding practices and shared family meals. These findings highlight the importance of making parents aware of potential impacts of meal distractions.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ISRCTN92980420 . Registered 13 September 2017. Retrospectively registered.

Family meal frequency and its association with food consumption and nutritional status in adolescents: A systematic review

This systematic review evaluated the association between frequency of family meals (FFM) and nutritional status (NS) and/or food consumption (FC) in adolescents. The protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42017062180) and followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. No publication date, language, or meal type restrictions were imposed. Only full-text original articles were included; qualitative studies were excluded. Studies were identified by searching 5 electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, BVS Brazil, and Adolec) and gray literature (Google Scholar) and by scanning reference lists of included articles. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale for cohort and cross-sectional studies. Initial search yielded 2001 results and 47 articles were included. An updated literature search added 3 articles. Of the 50 studies included, 25 studied the association between FFM and NS, 32 investigated the association between FFM and FC, being that seven studies analyzed both outcomes. Thirty-four were cross-sectional studies, 12 were longitudinal studies, and 4 studies analyzed both cross-sectional and longitudinal data. Thirty-five studies were rated as having good quality, whereas 19 were of fair quality. Sample size ranged from 140 to 102 072 participants. Most investigations evaluated the frequency of breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner/supper/evening meals over a 1-week period. Seventeen studies identified a positive relationship between high FFM and better NS, and 26 found a positive association between high FFM and better FC. In conclusion, this review showed an association between FFM and healthy dietary patterns, such as increased consumption of fruits and vegetables. Further research is needed to understand the association between FFM and NS, since some studies showed a protective role of family meals against obesity in this age group, whereas other studies identified no significant association between these variables.

Breakfast consumption-related attitudes among girl adolescents: applying an indirect measurement

OBJECTIVES

Desirable nutrition and breakfast intake have a major contribution to nutritional needs of students. Empirical evidence has shown that breakfast removal has an unpleasant effect on cognitive and perceptual performance of individuals. The aim of this study was to determine the Iranian students' attitudes about breakfast consumption and its related factors.

METHODS

In this descriptive & analytical (cross sectional) study 320 female high school students of Ardal district in 2018 were enrolled in a multistage sampling method. Data were collected using a questionnaire consist of behavioral beliefs and evaluation of the outcome. Face validity test was carried out with the view of 15 adolescents and content validity with seven expert opinions. Internal consistency and test-retest method were used for instrument reliability. Independent-samples T-Test, One-Way ANOVA and Post Hoc Multiple Comparisons were used for data analysis by SPSS ver.16.

RESULTS

There was a significant relationship between the attitude of adolescents and father's education (P = 0.047), sleep time (P < 0.001) and who ate breakfast (P = 0.003). But there was a significant relationship between attitudes with other variables not observed (P > 0.05). There was a significant relationship between behavioral beliefs of students with family size variable (P = 0.003), sleep time (0.001), who ate breakfast (P < 0.001) and father's education, evaluation of behavioral outcomes with sleep time variable (P = 0.01) There was a significant relationship. According to the classification, the attitudes of most students (%51/6) regarding breakfast consumption was good and most of them have acceptable beliefs on positive outcomes of breakfast consumption except (example; better learning lessons and having physical health) but in the outcome of more activity in school and energy and vitality, student had unacceptable beliefs.

CONCLUSION

In designing interventions, we must work to maintain a positive attitudes toward breakfast consumption through promoting behavioral beliefs and evaluation of behavioral outcomes.

Skipping breakfast is associated with overweight and obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

In recent years, many original studies have shown that skipping breakfast has been associated with overweight and obesity; however, the results of different studies are inconsistent. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies to synthesize the associations between skipping breakfast and the risk of overweight/ obesity.

METHODS

We did a systematic search using Pubmed, and Ovid searched up to August 2019. Observational studies (cohort studies and cross-sectional studies) reporting adjusted Odds Ratio or Risk Ratio estimates for the association between breakfast skipping and overweight/obesity (including abdominal obesity). Summary odds ratio (or Risk Ratio) and 95% confidence intervals calculated with a random-effects model.

RESULTS

45 observational studies (36 cross-sectional studies and 9 cohort studies) were included in this meta-analysis. In cross-sectional studies, The ORs of low frequency breakfast intake per week versus high frequency were 1.48 (95% CI 1.40-1.57; I²=54.0%; P=0.002) for overweight/obesity, 1.31 (95% CI 1.17-1.47; I²=43.0%; P=0.15) for abdominal obesity. In cohort studies, The RR of low-frequency breakfast intake per week versus high frequency was 1.44 (95% CI 1.25-1.66; I²=61%; P=0.009) for overweight/obesity.

CONCLUSIONS

This meta-analysis confirmed that skipping breakfast is associated with overweight/obesity, and skipping breakfast increases the risk of overweight/obesity. The results of cohort studies and cross-sectional studies are consistent. There is no significant difference in these results among different ages, gender, regions, and economic conditions.

Breakfast Consumption, Family Breakfast, and Adiposity Trajectory in Adolescence-The Adolescent Nutritional Assessment Longitudinal Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

The relationship between breakfast and family breakfast and adiposity gain during adolescence remains inconclusive.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between breakfast and family breakfast frequency and adiposity trajectory in adolescence.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study with middle school students aged 10 to 16 years enrolled in 2010 (baseline) and followed for 3 years.

PARTICIPANTS/SETTING

A total of 945 students from two public and four private schools in the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro were included. Among 945 students, 809 participated in the study at baseline. Pregnant or lactating students and those with physical or mental disabilities were excluded.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Body mass index (BMI) was assessed by measuring the participants' weight and height, and percent body fat (%BF) was assessed by performing bioelectrical impedance analysis.

STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED

Linear mixed-effect models were used to examine the relationship between baseline and persistence of breakfast consumption and family breakfast over a 3-year period and change in BMI and %BF. Breakfast and family breakfast were assessed by questions on frequency of consumption. Both variables were classified as regular, intermediate, and no consumption at baseline. Persistence was divided into persistently regular, persistently irregular, changing from regular to irregular, and contrariwise.

RESULTS

Overall, frequent breakfast consumption and family breakfast did not have protective effects against adiposity. At baseline, these behaviors were associated with low BMI and %BF among girls. During follow-up, these behaviors and persistence of regular breakfast consumption were associated with an increase in %BF (P<0.05). In boys, those who increased or decreased family breakfast frequency had greater decrease in %BF compared with those persistently regular at both time points.

CONCLUSION

Breakfast had no consistent relationship with adolescence adiposity trajectory, which is in line with the results of experimental studies and in contrast with those of many cross-sectional studies.

Evaluation of an eHealth intervention aiming to promote healthy food habits from infancy -the Norwegian randomized controlled trial Early Food for Future Health

BACKGROUND

Strategies to optimize early-life nutrition provide an important opportunity for primary prevention of childhood obesity. Interventions that can be efficiently scaled-up to the magnitude needed for sustainable childhood obesity prevention are needed. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of an eHealth intervention on parental feeding practices and infant eating behaviors.

METHODS

The Norwegian study Early Food for Future Health is a randomized controlled trial. Parents were recruited via social media and child health clinics during spring 2016 when their child was aged 3 to 5 months. In total 718 parents completed a web-based baseline questionnaire at child age 5.5 months. The intervention group had access to a webpage with monthly short video clips addressing specific infant feeding topics and age-appropriate baby food recipes from child age 6 to 12 months. The control group received routine care. The primary outcomes were child eating behaviors, dietary intake, mealtime routines and maternal feeding practices and feeding styles. The secondary outcomes were child anthropometry. This paper reports outcomes at child age 12 months.

RESULTS

More than 80% of the intervention group reported viewing all/most of the video clips addressing infant feeding topics and indicated that the films were well adapted to the child's age and easy to understand. Children in the intervention group were served vegetables/fruits more frequently (p = 0.035) and had tasted a wider variety of vegetables (p = 0.015) compared to controls. They were also more likely to eat family breakfast (p = 0.035) and dinner (p = 0.011) and less likely to be playing or watching TV/tablet during meals (p = 0.009) compared to control-group children. We found no group differences for child anthropometry or maternal feeding practices.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that the eHealth intervention is an appropriate and feasible tool to propagate information on healthy infant feeding to Norwegian mothers. Our study also suggests that anticipatory guidance on early protective feeding practices by such a tool may increase young children's daily vegetable/fruit intake and promote beneficial mealtime routines.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ISRCTN, ISRCTN13601567. Registered 29 February 2016, http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN13601567.

Association between skipping breakfast in parents and children and childhood overweight/obesity among children: a nationwide 10.5-year prospective study in Japan

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

The longitudinal association between skipping breakfast in parents and their children, and the subsequent risk of childhood overweight/obesity is unknown, especially in children under 10 years of age. We therefore aimed to prospectively assess the association between parents who skip their breakfast and the risk of children skipping their breakfast, as well as the risk of childhood overweight/obesity in children who skip their breakfast, using a10.5-year follow-up data on nationality representative samples.

METHODS

A total of 43, 663 children aged 1.5 years in 2002 were followed until 12 years of age. An overweight body mass index (BMI), including obesity, was defined as a BMI greater than or equal to 25 kg/m², according to the International Obesity Task Force cut-off points for children. Associations between parents, when children were 1.5 years of age, and children (2.5-12 years of age) skipping breakfast, as well as childhood overweight/obesity were calculated using logistic regression models.

RESULTS

Of the 42 663 children included, 12 and 32% of their mothers and fathers usually skipped breakfast when the child was 1.5 years of age, respectively. Children whose mothers or fathers skipped breakfast were more likely to skip breakfast, than those whose parents ate breakfast for all ages: the range of multivariable odds ratios (ORs) was 1.90 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.56-2.31) to 2.98 (95% CI 2.28-3.90) among mothers and 1.42 (95% CI 1.33-1.51) to 2.43 (95% CI 1.90-3.11) among fathers. When both parents skipped breakfast, the strongest association was observed. Compared to children who did not skip breakfast, children who skipped breakfast had 18-116% increased risk of overweight/obesity; the multivariable ORs were 1.18 (95% CI 1.05-1.32) and 2.16 (95% CI 1.55-2.99), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

There was a significant association between skipping breakfast in parents and children. Children who skipped breakfast had significantly increased risk of childhood overweight/obesity.

Descriptive epidemiology of changes in weight and weight-related behaviours of Australian children aged 5 years: two population-based cross-sectional studies in 2010 and 2015

OBJECTIVE

Over the past 10-15 years there has been substantial investment in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, to reduce child obesity through interventions in children aged 0-5 years. We report changes in weight and weight-related behaviours of 5-year-old children.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional surveys conducted in 2010 and 2015.

SETTING

NSW schools (2010 n=44; 2015 n=41) PARTICIPANTS: Australian children in kindergarten (2010 n=1141 and 2015 n=1150).

OUTCOME MEASURES

Change in anthropometry and indicators of diet, screen time, school travel and awareness of health recommendations. Additionally, we examined 2015 differences in weight-related behaviours by sociodemographic characteristics.

RESULTS

Prevalence of overweight/obesity was 2.1% lower (adjusted OR (AOR) 0.83, 95% CI 0.67 to 1.04) and abdominal obesity 1.7% higher (AOR 1.35, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.98) in 2015 than 2010. Significant improvements in multiple weight-related behaviours were observed among children in the highest tertile of junk food consumption (AOR 0.63, 95% CI 0.50 to 0.80), rewarded for good behaviour with sweets (AOR 0.59, 95% CI 0.47 to 0.74) and had a TV in their bedroom (AOR 0.65, 95% CI 0.43 to 0.96). In 2015, children from low socioeconomic neighbourhoods and non-English-speaking backgrounds were generally less likely to engage in healthy weight-related behaviours than children from high socioeconomic status neighbourhoods and from English-speaking backgrounds. Children in these demographic groups were less likely to eat breakfast daily, have high junk food intake and eat fast food regularly. Children from rural areas tended to have healthier weight-related behaviours than children from urban areas.

CONCLUSIONS

There were significant positive changes in 5-year-old children's weight-related behaviours but children from low socioeconomic neighbourhoods and from non-English-speaking backgrounds were more likely to engage in unhealthy weight-related behaviours than children from high socioeconomic neighbourhoods and English-speaking backgrounds. The findings indicate that there is a need to enhance population-level efforts and ensure community programmes are targeted and tailored to meet different subpopulation needs.

Breakfast habits and differences regarding abdominal obesity in a cross-sectional study in Spanish adults: The ANIBES study

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have indicated that breakfast has a protective effect against obesity. The aim of this study was to describe the breakfast habits of the Spanish adult population and to assess the possible association between breakfast frequency and the presence of abdominal obesity, in a cross-sectional analysis of the ANIBES Study.

METHODS

A representative sample of 1655 Spanish adults (aged 39±12 y; (mean±sd)) from the ANIBES Study was investigated. The final field work was carried out from mid-September to November (three months) 2013. Collected data included a dietary data collected by a 3-days food record, and health, socioeconomic, physical activity and anthropometric (weight, height and waist circumference) data. Abdominal obesity was defined as having a waist-to-height ratio ≥0.5. The adults were also classified into three groups based on the number of days they ate breakfast (never (0/3 days), sometimes (1-2/3 days) and always (3/3 days)). Logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between breakfast and abdominal obesity.

RESULTS

In total, 3.6% of adults skipped breakfast and 14.1% ate breakfast sometimes. Having always breakfast was negatively associated with abdominal obesity [OR = 0.738 (0.558-0.975) p = 0.033]. The odds of abdominal obesity after full adjustment (age, gender, and educational and activity level) were 1.5 times higher for those who skipped breakfast when compared to those who always have breakfast. By correcting the model considered for other variables, the odds among smokers decreased when they have breakfast sometimes [OR = 0.032 (0.003-0.387) p = 0.007] and always [OR = 0.023 (0.002-0.270) p = 0.003] comparing with smokers who skip breakfast.

CONCLUSION

Breakfast frequency could be negatively associated with abdominal obesity, especially among smokers.

Correlates of irregular family meal patterns among 11-year-old children from the Pro Children study

Background: The importance of family meals to the consumption of healthful food choices has been stated in recent reviews. However, little information is available on barriers that interfere with regular family meal patterns during childhood.

Objective: Describe family meal patterns among 11-year-old children across Europe and identify correlates of irregular family breakfast and dinner consumption.

Design: Cross-sectional survey involving samples of 13,305 children from nine European countries in 2003.

Results: The proportions of children who regularly ate family breakfast and dinner were 62% and 90%, respectively. Correlates of irregular family breakfasts and dinners were less vegetable consumption, and irregular family breakfasts were associated with more television viewing. Social differences in the consumption of family breakfasts were observed.

Discussion: Strengths of this study are the large sample size and validated research method. Limitations are the cross-sectional design and self-reported data.

Conclusion: The majority of 11-year-old children regularly ate breakfast and dinner with their families. Less vegetable consumption and more television viewing were associated with irregular family breakfasts and dinners, respectively. Social differences were observed in the regularity of family breakfasts. Promoting family meals across social class may lead to healthier eating and activity habits, sustainable at the population Level.