Background: Breakfast eating is regarded to be necessary for maintaining a healthy body weight. On the other hand, breakfast skipping has been linked with obesity incidence. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of breakfast skipping among a multi-ethnic group of middle-aged men living in Saudi Arabia and the association between breakfast skipping and sociodemographic variables and weight status.
Methods: This cross-sectional study included 1,800 middle-aged men aged 36-59 years. Participants' sociodemographic information and frequency of breakfast eating were obtained through personal interviews. The body mass index was determined after measuring body weight and height using standardized methods.
Results: The prevalence of breakfast skipping was 42.1% of the study participants. Nationality was a predictor of breakfast skipping. Bangladeshi participants (N = 100) have the lowest rate of breakfast skipping (9.0%), whilst Saudi participants (N = 161) have the highest rate (73.3%). Weight status was another predictor of breakfast skipping as breakfast skippers had a significantly higher average body mass index (27.1 ± 3.8) than breakfast consumers (26.2 ± 3.5). Overweight/obese participants have a significantly higher breakfast skipping rate (44.9%) than participants with underweight/normal weight (36.6%).
Conclusion: The rate of breakfast skipping is relatively high among middle-aged men living in Saudi Arabia. The data support a link between breakfast skipping and sociodemographic variables and weight status.
Keywords: body mass index; breakfast skipping; middle-aged men; multi-ethnic; weight status.
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