Breakfast Intake Habits Among Universiti Brunei Darussalam Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3923/pjn.2019.817.823Keywords:
Awareness, body mass index, breakfast, breakfast skipping, dietary habits, eating habit, university studentsAbstract
Background and Objective: Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day because the consumption of regular breakfast provides many health benefits. University students commonly skip breakfast. This study assesses the breakfast habits of university students to determine correlations between breakfast intake habits and body mass index. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among students of Universiti Brunei Darussalam. Three hundred forty-one students completed questionnaires and physical measurements (weight and self-reported height). Results: Among the respondents, only 74% had consumed breakfast on the day they were queried. 28% of the respondents consume breakfast regularly (daily). 90% of the respondents skipped breakfast of whom 50% had no time to eat or prepare breakfast. There was no significant correlation between breakfast intake habit and body mass index. Nonetheless, undergraduate students and those aged 19-21 years were significantly more likely to skip breakfast than graduate students and other age groups. Conclusion: The study identified no correlation between breakfast eating habits and body mass index. The most common factor for skipping breakfast was insufficient time to eat or prepare breakfast. Furthermore, health awareness campaigns and structured academic curriculum are recommended to promote good breakfast habits.
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