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Is snack consumption associated with meal skipping in children and adolescents? The CASPIAN-IV study

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Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The present inquiry set to assess the relationship between snack consumption and meal skipping in Iranian children and adolescents.

Methods

Overall, 14,880 students, aged 6–18 years, were selected via multistage cluster sampling method from rural and urban areas of 30 provinces of Iran. A validated questionnaire of food behaviors including questions on snacks consumption and taking/skipping meals was completed. Consuming and skipping meals and their related factors were reported in both crude and adjusted models.

Results

Overall, 13,486 students with a mean age of 12.47 ± 3.36 years completed the study (90.6% participation rate). Among them, 32.08, 8.89, and 10.90% skipped breakfast, lunch, and dinner, respectively. Compared to their counterpart groups, the frequency of meal skipping was higher in girls, urban inhabitants, and students in higher school grades (P < 0.05). Snack consumption was associated with an increased odds ratio of meal skipping in many types of snack groups.

Conclusions

Meal skipping and snack consumption were frequent among Iranian children and adolescents. Evidence based interventions are proposed to improve the students’ eating habits.

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Funding

The study was funded by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education.

Disclaimer

This study was conducted by collaboration of 30 universities of Medical sciences in Iran.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Paediatrics Department, Child Growth and Development Research Center, Research Institute for Primordial Prevention of Non-communicable Disease, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

    Roya Kelishadi, Nafiseh Mozafarian, Gelayol Ardalan & Mojtaba Keikhah

  2. Non-Communicable Diseases Research Center, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Baghestan Boulevard, 31485/56, Karaj, Iran

    Mostafa Qorbani

  3. Chronic Diseases Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Population Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Mostafa Qorbani & Ramin Heshmat

  4. Paediatrics Department, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

    Mohammad Esmaeil Motlagh

  5. Managerial Epidemiology Research Center, Department of Public Health, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Maragheh University of Medical Sciences, Maragheh, Iran

    Saeid Safiri

  6. Department of Social Medicine, Medical School, Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Jahrom, Iran

    Fatemeh Rezaei

Authors
  1. Roya Kelishadi
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  2. Nafiseh Mozafarian
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  3. Mostafa Qorbani
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  4. Mohammad Esmaeil Motlagh
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  5. Saeid Safiri
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  6. Gelayol Ardalan
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  7. Mojtaba Keikhah
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  8. Fatemeh Rezaei
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  9. Ramin Heshmat
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Mostafa Qorbani or Ramin Heshmat.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethics approval

The study was approved by ethical committees of all contributing organizations.

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Informed written consent was obtained from students’ parents.

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Kelishadi, R., Mozafarian, N., Qorbani, M. et al. Is snack consumption associated with meal skipping in children and adolescents? The CASPIAN-IV study. Eat Weight Disord 22, 321–328 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-017-0370-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-017-0370-4

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