Breakfast Consumption and Diet Quality of Teens in Southwestern Ontario
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Breakfast skipping has previously been associated with worse diet quality among adolescents, although research from Canada is relatively sparse. Additionally, many studies do not consider diet quality as a function of calories, which is problematic as skippers tend to consume less energy than consumers.
PURPOSE: This study investigated breakfast skipping habits and Healthy Eating Index-2015 scores among teens in Southwestern Ontario.
METHODS: Cross-sectional, baseline data were used from the SmartAPPetite project, which is currently ongoing. 24-hour dietary recalls and sociodemographic information were obtained from participants and parents (n=512).
RESULTS: Breakfast skippers had significantly lower diet quality, even when calories were controlled for, though the differences were relatively small. On average, both skippers and consumers had poor diet quality.
CONCLUSION: While breakfast may appear to be an attractive meal to intervene upon to improve diet quality, consumption alone is not likely to meaningfully improve diet quality among teens.