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Updated: May 21, 2026

Breakfast Habits among Schoolchildren in the City of Uruguaiana, Brazil
Published on: July 29, 2020
The association between skipping breakfast and biochemical variables in sedentary obese children and adolescents
Ismael F Freitas Júnior1, Diego G D Christofaro, Jamile S Codogno
1Department of Physical Education, UNESP Universidade Estadual Paulista, Presidente Prudente, São Paulo, Brazil.
Objective:
To investigate the relationship between skipping meals and biochemical variables in obese children and adolescents.
Study Design:
The sample was composed of 174 obese children and adolescents, aged between 6 and 16 years (80 male and 94 female). Body composition was assessed by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, fasting blood glucose, and lipid profile were measured after 12 hours fasting. The frequency of skipping breakfast, lunch, or dinner was assessed through a face-to-face interview carried out with the parents.
Results:
The prevalence of eating breakfast daily was low in boys (47.5%) and girls (44.7%). A higher frequency of eating breakfast was negatively correlated with glucose (r = -0.16; P = .026), triglycerides (r = -0.19; P = .011), and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (r = -0.21; P = .005). In the multivariate model, the weekly frequency of eating breakfast remained negatively associated with glucose (β = -0.975; P = .017), triglycerides (β = -7.792; P = .017), and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (β = -1.870; P = .009) independent of age, sex, trunk fatness, and parents' education.
Conclusion:
Skipping meals, mainly breakfast, is associated with glucose and lipid levels in obese children and adolescents.
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