The study explored the relationships among weight perceptions, dieting behavior, and breakfast eating behavior among 4,597 public high school adolescents using the CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Adjusted multiple logistic regression models were constructed separately for race and gender groups via SUDAAN. Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated to determine the strength of relationships. Approximately 42% of the sample reported not eating breakfast within the past 5 days, while 40% were trying to lose weight, and 37% were dieting to lose weight. Excessive dietary practices (e.g., fasting, taking diet pills or laxatives, and vomiting to lose weight) were reported by approximately 25% of the sample. When compared to those eating breakfast within the past 5 days, all race and gender groups that did not were significantly more likely to report fasting to lose weight (OR = 1.70-2.97). In addition, all but black females were significantly more likely to perceive themselves as overweight (OR=1.44-1.61) and trying to lose weight (OR = 1.40-1.72). Among males, not eating breakfast was significantly associated with taking diet pills to lose weight (OR = 2.31-2.40), eating fewer calories to lose weight (OR = 1.38-1.49), and inversely associated with trying to gain weight (OR = 0.71-0.74). Results suggest that these adolescents may be skipping breakfast as part of a patterned lifestyle of unhealthy weight management and that efforts to expand school breakfast programs will not ameliorate many dietary challenges facing today's adolescents, as these unhealthy weight perceptions and dietary practices reach beyond the scope of increased breakfast offerings. However, several recommendations are offered. First, health educators, teachers, and other human service personnel working with youth may benefit adolescents by informing their students or clients and their families of the prevalence and ramifications of skipping meals, specifically breakfast. Second, by engaging students in more comprehensive programming to affect students' body image, eating attitudes, and behaviors, lasting changes in self-image and lifestyle may result.
Learner Objectives:
1) By the end of this session, participants will understand that surveying students with one non-intrusive item may be effective in revealing problematic perceptions of weight and inappropriate dietary practices.
2) Previous adolescent research would suggest skipping breakfast is a matter of choice for most youth (e.g., lack of time, not hungry) as opposed to socioeconomic status as has been suggested in the United States. However, by the end of this session,participants will understand that efforts to expand school breakfast programs will not eliminate many dietary challenges facing today's adolescents.