La consommation du petit déjeuner est-elle associée à l’état pondéral : enquête auprès d’adultes algériens ?

Objective

To study the association between breakfast consumption and obesity.

Materials and methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 284 Algerian adults. The breakfast consumption and composition were assessed by the 24-hour recall repeated on three times. Breakfast consumers were defined as having consumed 300 Kcal and more in this meal. Anthropometric measurements included weight and height.

Results

Our population counts 46.5% men and 53.5% women. A total of 62.3% of adults were overweight, including 25.4% having obesity. Over half of the population (54.2%) ate breakfast. It usually consisted of a cereal product, a dairy product and a sweet product accompanied by coffee or tea. No significant difference was observed between the prevalence of obesity in breakfast consumers and non-consumers. No correlation was found between BMI and energy intake at breakfast. Non-consumers of breakfast had a higher total energy intake excluding breakfast than breakfast consumers.

Conclusion

In our study, skipping breakfast does not appear to be related to obesity. Rather, it appears to be related to an excess in total energy.