Association between skipping and replacing meals and excess weight in adolescents in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

This article aims to evaluate the association between skipping and replacing meals with excess weight in adolescents. Cross-sectional study among 382 students from public schools in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, collecting sociodemographic data and dietary habits, focusing on skipping (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and replacing meals with snacks. The Chi-square test assessed Body Mass Index for Age (overweight> +1 z-score), and logistic regression analyzed associations between meal skipping, replacing meals, and excess weight. Girls who skipped breakfast had a higher excess weight frequency (50% vs 31.6%, p=0.025), while boys with excess weight skipped lunch (13.8% vs 4.8%, p=0.027) and dinner (15.5% vs 5.5%, p=0.020) more frequently. Boys skipping dinner were 3.13 times more likely to have excess weight (95%CI: 1.06-9.21), and girls skipping breakfast were 2.20 times more likely (95%CI: 1.10-4.41). No association was found between replacing meals and excess weight. Skipping dinner and breakfast increased the chances of excess weight in male and female adolescents, respectively.