The Association Between Dietary Patterns and Socio-Demographic and Lifestyle Characteristics: A Sample of Saudi Arabia

Dietary intake is an important risk factor that contributes to the development or prevention of many health conditions. The objective of the current study was to identify different dietary patterns and its relation to socio-demographic and life-style characteristics. A cross-sectional study of 299 Saudi adults, aged between 35-65 years without any significant health problems. Participants were interviewed individually and completed a pre-designed questionnaire with close-ended questions including socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics. Dietary intake was assessed using food frequency questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements were obtained by a trained nurse in the clinic. Factor analysis technique was used to derive different food patterns. Five dietary patterns were identified, namely: sweet & starch, date & coffee, healthy, traditional, and protein patterns. Following sweet & starch pattern was significantly correlated to male gender, frequently visiting fast food restaurants and breakfast consumption behavior. Adherence to healthy pattern was associated with male gender, higher education with high income, older adults, breakfast consumption behavior and high levels of physical activity. Traditional pattern was correlated with married subjects and male gender, whereas compliance to date & coffee pattern was related to reduced number of meals and snacks. The protein pattern was significantly associated with younger age and breakfast consumption behavior. Dietary patterns were influenced by socio-demographic characteristic (age, gender, marital status, education level, income) and other lifestyle factors (breakfast consumption, number of meals, physical activity). A national cohort study is needed to assess the association between dietary patterns with the risk of cardiometabolic dysregulation.

Breakfast Consumption Suppresses Appetite but Does Not Increase Daily Energy Intake or Physical Activity Energy Expenditure When Compared with Breakfast Omission in Adolescent Girls Who Habitually Skip Breakfast: A 7-Day Randomised Crossover Trial

With concerns that adolescent girls often skip breakfast, this study compared the effects of breakfast consumption versus breakfast omission on free-living physical activity (PA) energy expenditure (PAEE) and dietary intakes among adolescent girls classified as habitual breakfast skippers. The participants went through two 7-day conditions in a trial with a crossover design: daily standardised breakfast consumption (energy content: 25% of resting metabolic rate) before 09:00 (BC) and daily breakfast omission (no energy-providing nutrients consumed) until 10:30 (BO). Free-living PAEE, dietary intakes, and perceived appetite, tiredness, and energy levels were assessed. Analyses were linear mixed models. Breakfast manipulation did not affect PAEE or PA duration. Daily fibre intake was higher (p = 0.005; d = 1.31), daily protein intake tended to be higher (p = 0.092; d = 0.54), post-10:30 carbohydrate intake tended to be lower (p = 0.096; d = 0.41), and pre-10:30 hunger and fullness were lower and higher, respectively (p ≤ 0.065; d = 0.33–1.01), in BC versus BO. No other between-condition differences were found. Breakfast-skipping adolescent girls do not compensate for an imbalance in energy intake caused by breakfast consumption versus omission through subsequent changes in PAEE but may increase their carbohydrate intakes later in the day to partially compensate for breakfast omission. Furthermore, breakfast can make substantial contributions to daily fibre intake among adolescent girls.

Breakfast Consumption and Academic Achievement Among Chinese Adolescents: A Moderated Mediation Model

The studies have shown that a healthy lifestyle has a significant impact on the academic achievement of adolescents. Behavior of breakfast eating is considered a hallmark of dietary patterns and an important component of a healthy lifestyle. The prior study explained that students had a lower level of achievement motivation at school because they were exposed to some militating factors in their families such as absenteeism, ill health, malnutrition, and hunger. This study examined the mediating role of achievement motivation and moderating role of socioeconomic status (SES) in the association between breakfast consumption and academic achievement. This study used a sample of 15-year-old Chinese students who participated in Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015. In terms of gender, female students accounted for 47.2% and male students accounted for 52.8%. The results showed that (1) breakfast consumption had a positive predictive effect on academic achievement; (2) achievement motivation played a partial mediating role in the relationship between breakfast consumption and academic achievement; and (3) the direct and indirect effects were moderated by the SES of students, which meant that the effect of breakfast consumption on achievement motivation can differ depending on the SES of students. Besides, both the effects were stronger for individuals with higher SES. The conclusion of this study has an important theoretical value and reference value to guide the Chinese parents and Chinese adolescents to pay more attention to breakfast consumption and healthy lifestyles.

Can Social Cognitive Theory Influence Breakfast Frequency in an Institutional Context: A Qualitative Study

Breakfast is considered an important meal, especially for people who are about to commence a long or demanding workday, and for roles that may involve physical tasks and a requirement to remain alert and vigilant in potentially high-risk situations. This study looks at breakfast consumption influences within two workplace institutional settings, namely military and mining. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with military personnel (n = 12) and mining employees (n = 12) to understand their breakfast consumption behaviour at work and at home, and the associated behavioural influences. The interview questions were framed by social cognitive theory. Overall, cognitive and environmental influences were the most prominent influences on breakfast consumption, less evident were behavioural influences. A negative stereotype of workplace institutional food services emerged as one of the most significant barriers to breakfast consumption for those already at work. Considerations of environmental influences on behaviour may need to be broadened beyond physical barriers and social influences, to include perceptions of the behavioural environment. Programs that aim to increase breakfast consumption must create areas where their employees want to go. Food systems need to ensure nutritious, quality, and appealing food is available. Interventions need to increase participants’ knowledge, improve their attitudes, and create positive expectations for breakfast.

Applying the trans-theoretical model to determine the mediating effect self-efficacy in breakfast consumption among children

Purpose Regular breakfast with a variety of nutrients can lead to improving educational performance, learning ability, reducing behavioral problems in elementary students. This study aims to use the Trans-Theoretical Model (TTM) to assess the mediating effect of self-efficacy in regular breakfast consumption among children of Ardabil elementary schools. Design/methodology/approach This cross-sectional study was performed between 300 students from elementary schools of different regions of Ardabil city by cluster sampling method. The instrument used in this study was the TTM standard questionnaire. Data was analyzed with Spearman correlation and regression using SPSS v18 software to identify the mediating effects of self-efficacy. Findings The mean age (SD) OF children was 11.2 (1.26) and 50% of them were female. Self-efficacy was the strongest predictor in stage promotion (ß = 0.44, P = 0.001), as well as had a mediating effect on the impact of other constructs of the model such as experiential processes (ß = 0.35, P = 0.04) and pros (ß = 0.44, P = 0.03) with stages of change. Pros were a significant predictor of self-efficacy in the first equation (ß = 0.17, P = 0.001) and Pros were a significant predictor of stages of change in the second equation when mediated by self-efficacy (ß = 0.11, P = 0.03). In the third equation, both the mediator, myself-efficacy and the predictor, Pros of breakfast consumption, were significantly associated with stages of change. The mediating effects of self-efficacy on the association between experiential processes and stages of change were also confirmed. The increased standardized beta coefficients of experiential processes between equations 3(ß = 0.35) and 2(ß = 0.29). Originality/value Due to the importance of eating a healthy breakfast regularly in children, this study aimed to use TTM to assess mediating effects of self-efficacy in regular breakfast consumption in Ardabil elementary students.

Dietary Behavior of Adolescents in the Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia: A Comparison between Cities with and without the Healthy Cities Program

This study reports dietary behaviors of adolescents in the Qassim region, Saudi Arabia, and comparison of these behaviors between cities with and without the Healthy Cities Program (HCP). We surveyed 1133 school-attending adolescents aged 15–19, using a multi-staged cluster sampling with probability proportionate to size. Prevalence of daily breakfast consumption was 27.7% among the adolescents. Prevalence of daily vegetables, fruits and milk or milk products consumption was 35.9%, 28.6% and 51.1%, respectively. Meanwhile, the prevalence of daily consumption of fast-food and carbonated drinks was 7.5% and 37.1%, respectively. There was no significant association between living in the healthy cities and daily intake of breakfast (OR: 1.15, 95% CI: 0.87–1.53), fruits (OR: 1.02; 95% CI: 0.77–1.36), vegetables (OR: 1.27; 95% CI: 0.98–1.67), or milk/milk products (OR: 1.0; 95% CI: 0.77–1.29); and the daily intake of fast-food (OR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.49–1.35) or carbonated drinks (OR: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.60–1.05). These findings warrant further in-depth evaluation of the HCP in the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia.

Effect of Protein-Rich Breakfast on Subsequent Energy Intake and Subjective Appetite in Children and Adolescents: Systematic Review and Meta–Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Breakfast has been labeled “the most important meal of the day”, especially for children and adolescents. Dietary protein intake may benefit and regulate appetite and energy balance. However, few meta–analyses have been conducted to examine the effect of protein–rich (PR) breakfast on both children and adolescents. This meta–analytic study was conducted to examine the effect of consuming a PR breakfast on short–term energy intake and appetite in children and adolescents. PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, China Biology Medicine disc (CBM), and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in January 1990–January 2021. The inclusion criteria applied were RCTs in children and adolescents (7–19 year) comparing PR breakfast consumption with normal protein (NP)/traditional breakfast consumption. Finally, ten studies were included in the analysis, eight studies examined the effect of consuming PR breakfast on SEI (n = 824), and nine studies examined the effect on appetite (fullness = 736, hunger = 710). Our meta-analysis using the random–effects model shows that participants assigned to consume PR breakfast had lower SEI (MD, −111.2 kcal; 95% CI: −145.4, −76.9), higher fullness (MD, 7.4 mm; 95% CI: 6.0, 8.8), and lower hunger (MD, −8.5 mm; 95% CI: −9. 7, −7.3) than those assigned to consume NP/traditional breakfast. However, there was considerable inconsistency across the trial results. Our review suggests that the consumption of PR breakfast could be an excellent strategy for weight management by declining SEI and suppressing appetite, and provides new evidence of the relationship between energy balance and obesity. However, since most eligible studies were of low quality, the results ought to be interpreted cautiously.