Assessment of skipping breakfast at home among adolescent school students in Badia Region, Jordan

Abstract

Introduction: Healthy meals play an essential role in the healthy physical and mental development of adolescents. Breakfast at home is associated with improved nutritional choices, and skipping breakfast is detrimental. This study assessed prevalence of skipping breakfast at home among adolescent students in the Badia Region of Jordan, identifying the reasons and characteristics associated with such behavioural choice. Methods: A cross-sectional survey among adolescent students (aged 13-16 years, in 8th-9th grades) from six public schools in Badia Region, Mafraq Governorate, Jordan, was conducted through self-administered questionnaire from February to March 2022. Results: Results showed that 68.1% of 552 student participants regularly skipped breakfast at home (72.4% boys vs. 61.3% girls; p=0.007). Among those who regularly skipped breakfast, three main rationales for this choice were not feeling hungry (5.3%), lack of time (2.7%), and lack of appetite (3.5%). Conclusion: The prevalence of skipping breakfast at home among adolescents in Badia Region was high for various reasons, including lack of time, not feeling hungry, seeking to manage weight, and insufficient knowledge on the importance of healthy breakfast. Therefore, understanding the reasons and factors that contribute towards breakfast skipping may help in solving the problem, underscoring that positive beliefs should be reinforced in schools, with parents encouraging adolescents to eat healthy breakfast.