Relação entre a omissão de desjejum, o estado nutricional e o estilo de vida em adolescentes escolares

Abstract

The eating behavior among individuals has been changing and younger and younger people are adopting unhealthy eating habits, among which stands out the omission of one of the main meals, especially breakfast. Studies show that this habit may not only be associated with an inappropriate lifestyle (physical inactivity, physical inactivity, and sleep deprivation), but may also be an independent factor in determining overweight / obesity. Obesity is considered a public health problem because it is associated with various diseases, contributing to the decline in the quality of life of individuals and has been growing alarmingly in all age groups, including adolescents. Most studies in the literature prioritize the assessment of the frequency or consumption of a particular food group as a determinant of nutritional status, and few have assessed the omission of breakfast. The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between the habit of not eating breakfast, anthropometric and lifestyle variables in adolescents from public schools. This was a cross-sectional, population-based study involving 571 adolescents aged 15-19 years, conducted in public schools from September 2012 to June 2013. A collection instrument was applied to obtain socioeconomic and lifestyle variables (physical activity, physical inactivity, sleep duration) and the habit of omitting breakfast. This habit was considered when adolescents did not have breakfast at least five days in the last week. To assess nutritional status, anthropometric measurements (weight, height and waist circumference) were obtained and the nutritional classification followed the recommendations of the World Health Organization. Central adiposity was assessed through the waist circumference / height ratio, being considered present when this relationship was equal to or greater than 0.5. Overweight / obesity was considered when the body mass index was greater than or equal to +1 Z-score of the reference value, for age and gender. Statistical analysis included a descriptive analysis to characterize the population studied, according to gender. Then, the chi-square test evaluated the association between the omission of breakfast and sociodemographic, anthropometric and lifestyle variables. To test the independence of factors associated with waist circumference / height ratio and nutritional status, univariate logistic regression was performed, and then multiple, and independent variables were those with a “p” value equal to or lower. 0.20, in the univariate analysis. As a measure of fit quality of logistic regression models, the Hosmer Lemershow Test was used. Statistical analyzes were performed using SPSS version 22.0 and a significance level of 5% was adopted. The omission of breakfast was 31% in the studied population and was associated with physical activity level and hours of sleep. In logistic regression, an independent association was found between breakfast omission and waist circumference / height ratio and between household head's economic class and nutritional status. In conclusion, the omission of breakfast is a frequent behavior and is significantly associated with abdominal obesity, which justifies practices that encourage the consumption of breakfast as healthy eating habits among adolescents.