Breakfast skipping and overweight/obesity in first grade primary school children: A nationwide register‐based study in Iceland

• Published in: Clinical Obesity
• Main Authors: Aanesen, Anita, Katzmarzyk, Peter T., Ernstsen, Linda
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2020
• Subjects: Iceland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cob.12384; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fcob.12384; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/cob.12384; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1111/cob.12384

Summary Although several studies have revealed an association between skipping breakfast and overweight (OW) or obesity (OB) in older children and adolescents, less is known about that association in younger children. The purpose of our study was to assess the association between skipping breakfast and OW/OB in children in the first grade. The sample included 4360 children (51.5% boys) aged 5.6 to 7.4 years who participated in the annual health examination in Iceland during 2016 and 2017, completed by 91% of all first graders in Iceland. Binary logistic regression analysis with odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was used to assess the association between skipping breakfast and OW/OB. Skipping breakfast was assessed as not eating breakfast on the day of the assessment, whereas OW or OB was based on measured height and weight relative to the International Obesity Task Force reference. The final analyses were adjusted for bedtime, well‐being in school, commuting to school and physical activity. 7.2% of the boys (n = 162) and 7.5% of the girls (n = 158) had not eaten breakfast. After multivariable adjustment, a statistically significant association emerged between skipping breakfast and OW / OB in girls ( OR 1.66, 95% CI 1.17‐2.36) but not in boys ( OR 1.02, 95% CI 0.63‐1.63). Because the study's results suggest an association between skipping breakfast and OW/OB only in first‐grade girls in Iceland, sex‐based differences should be further investigated to inform future strategies for preventing OW and OB in young children.