Breakfast Skipping among Personnel in Rajavithi Hospital

Breakfast skipping is considered to be an unhealthy eating habit and is linked with several health issues, including obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndrome (MetS). Few studies on the breakfast consumption habits of hospital personnel have been carried out.

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of breakfast skipping among Rajavithi Hospital personnel. Quality of life, knowledge of the importance of eating breakfast, and patterns of breakfast consumption were also assessed.

A cross-sectional study was carried out of 356 personnel in the hospital between February and May 2015. Medical record data relating to annual check-ups were collected by means of a questionnaire which requested information regarding demographic data, breakfast patterns, knowledge of the importance of eating breakfast, and quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF-THAI). This study was approved by the ethics committee of Rajavithi Hospital.

The majority of the participants were female (87.1%) with mean age of 38.68±11.41 years. Most had normal BMI, were single, had a bachelor degree and worked in the cluster of nursing. The prevalence of breakfast skipping was 14%, and the main reasons given for not eating breakfast were lack of time (33.7%) and inconvenience (28.1%). Sleep hygiene and sleep quality differed between groups. A moderate level of knowledge about the importance of eating breakfast was found; however, this factor was not significantly associated with breakfast consumption. Overall quality of life (QOL) was moderate. The QOL for mental health in those who ate breakfast was significantly higher than in those who did not.

The prevalence of breakfast skipping was low, and this is consistent with the findings of other studies in the literature. Mental health was significantly associated with breakfast consumption. In order to increase the rate of breakfast consumption, interventions should be developed for specific target groups.