Association of Fruit and Vegetable Intake With Meal Skipping in Children and Adolescents: The Caspian-V Study Publisher Pubmed



Pourrostami K¹ ; Heshmat R² ; Hemati Z³ ; Heidaribeni M³ ; Qorbani M^{2, 4} ; Motlagh ME⁵ ; Raeisi A⁶ ; Shafiee G² ; Ziaodini H⁷ ; Beshtar S⁸ ; Taheri M³ ; Mahdavigorabi A² ; Aminaei T³ ; Kelishadi R³ Show Affiliations
Source: Eating and Weight Disorders Published:2020

Abstract

Background: There are few studies on the association of main meal consumption with fruit and vegetable intake. This study aims to assess the relation between skipping main meals and fruit and vegetable intake in children and adolescents. Methods: This multi-centric cross-sectional study was conducted in 30 provinces of Iran. This study was conducted in the framework of the fifth survey of a national surveillance program entitled Childhood and Adolescence Surveillance and Prevention of Adult Non-communicable Disease study (CASPIAN- V). 14,440 school students aged 7–18 years were assessed. Logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between frequency of fruit and vegetable intake with skipping main meals. Results: Overall, 14,274 students completed the study (99% participation rate). Their mean (SD) age was 12.3 (3.2) (53% were aged 6–12), 50.6% of them were boys, and 71.3% lived in urban area. In multivariate logistic regression model, statistically significant associations were found between skipping main meals and low fruits and vegetables intake. Skipping breakfast was associated with vegetables intake [OR = 1.19(95% CI 1.02–1.38)] and fruits intake [OR = 5.33(95% CI 4.46–6.37)]. Skipping lunch was associated with vegetables intake [OR = 1.61(95% CI 1.29–1.96)] and fruit intake [OR = 9.11(95% CI 6.55–12.67)]. Skipping dinner was associated with vegetables intake [OR = 1.52 (95% CI 1.15–2.01)] and fruits intake [OR = 2.21(95% CI 1.64–2.97)]. Conclusions: In this study, low frequency of fruit and vegetable intake was associated with skipping main meals. The results highlight the importance of promoting regular meal consumption with increase in the intake of fruit and vegetables among children and adolescents. Level of evidence: Level V. © 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.