Breakfast and its association with food consumption and anthropometric profile of adolescents in Brasilia -DF

DOI: 10.15343/0104-7809.20194301211226

Abstract

This study evaluated having breakfast and its association with dietary intake and anthropometric profile among 8th and 9th grade students in public schools in Brasília-DF. This was a cross-sectional study with application of a questionnaire through an interview, in which data collected concerning gender, age, daily consumption of fruits and vegetables and a 24-hour recall, for the analysis of breakfast consumption and energy, nutrients, cholesterol and fiber intake. Weight and height were measured for analysis of the Body Mass Index for age. The association between having breakfast and the other study variables was investigated. The 838 adolescents enrolled had a mean age of 13.9±0.94 years, 59.5% were female and 18.1% were overweight. Only 11.0% reached the recommended consumption of fruits and vegetables (>5 servings/day). Among the adolescents who had breakfast (80.2%), 12.2% reached the recommended consumption of fruits and vegetables; among those who did not have breakfast, 6.0% reached the recommendation (p=0.023). Energy, macronutrients, fiber, iron, sodium and calcium intake were significantly higher among those who had breakfast compared to those who did not have this meal. No significant association was found between this meal and sex, age group or anthropometric profile. It was concluded that most of the adolescents had breakfast, which was associated with higher daily consumption of fruits and vegetables and with a greater supply of energy, macronutrients and fiber, but also saturated fat and sodium.