Association between Skipping Breakfast and Overweight in Korean Adolescents: Analysis of the 13th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey

Abstract

Breakfast, as a meal that balances all other meals in a day, affects whether an individual has lunch and how they distribute snacks and meals during the day [1-3]. Individuals who eat breakfast show better health overall than those who skip breakfast as they consume more essential nutrients and dietary fiber; moreover, they also have better academic achievement as breakfast improves their memory [2]. In addition, skipping breakfast is correlated with obesity and abnormal menstruation and increases the risk of anemia caused by iron deficiency, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and mortality [3-6]. As adolescence is the period during which individuals grow physically and mentally at a rapid pace, breakfast is critical in terms of providing nutrients. In particular, skipping breakfast during adolescence may contribute to the development of eating habits associated with chronic disease in adulthood. According to the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted by the pISSN 2092-8335 · eISSN 2733-5380 Keimyung Med J 2021[Epub ahead of print] https://doi.org/10.46308/kmj.2021.00136 Original Article