Correlates of meal skipping in young adults: a systematic review
- PMID: 27905981
- PMCID: PMC5133750
- DOI: 10.1186/s12966-016-0451-1
Correlates of meal skipping in young adults: a systematic review
Abstract
Background: Meal skipping rates may be highest during young adulthood, a period of transition and development. Although these dietary behaviours may increase future risk of chronic disease, limited research has investigated correlates of meal skipping in young adults.
Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted to identify studies that investigated correlates of meal skipping behaviours in young adults (aged 18-30 years). EBSCO host, MEDLINE Complete, Global Health, Scopus, EMBASE, Web of Science and Informit platforms were searched for eligible articles. Correlates were defined as any factor that was either associated with meal skipping or was self-reported by the participant to have an influence on meal skipping. Randomised controlled trials, prospective cohort studies, case-control studies, nested case-control studies, cross-sectional studies, and longitudinal studies were eligible for inclusion.
Results: Three-hundred and thirty-one articles were identified, 141 full-text articles assessed for eligibility, resulting in 35 included studies. Multiple methodological and reporting weaknesses were apparent in the reviewed studies with 28 of the 35 studies scoring a negative rating in the risk of bias assessment. Meal skipping (any meal), defined as the skipping of any meal throughout the day, was reported in 12 studies with prevalence ranging between 5 and 83%. The remaining 25 studies identified specific meals and their skipping rates, with breakfast the most frequently skipped meal 14-88% compared to lunch 8-57% and dinner 4-57%. Lack of time was consistently reported as an important correlate of meal skipping, compared with correlates such as cost and weight control, while sex was the most commonly reported associated correlate. Breakfast skipping was more common among men while lunch or dinner skipping being more common among women.
Conclusions: This review is the first to examine potential correlates of meal skipping in young adults. Future research would benefit from stronger design and reporting strategies, using a standardised approach for measuring and defining meal skipping.
Keywords: Correlates; Eating behaviour; Meal skipping; Systematic review; Young adults.
Figures
Similar articles
-
Associations of Skipping Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner with Weight Gain and Overweight/Obesity in University Students: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Nutrients. 2021 Jan 19;13(1):271. doi: 10.3390/nu13010271. Nutrients. 2021. PMID: 33477859 Free PMC article.
-
The effects of skipping a meal on daily energy intake and diet quality.Public Health Nutr. 2020 Dec;23(18):3346-3355. doi: 10.1017/S1368980020000683. Epub 2020 May 13. Public Health Nutr. 2020. PMID: 32398192 Free PMC article.
-
Examining the correlates of meal skipping in Australian young adults.Nutr J. 2019 Apr 3;18(1):24. doi: 10.1186/s12937-019-0451-5. Nutr J. 2019. PMID: 30944008 Free PMC article.
-
Understanding meal patterns: definitions, methodology and impact on nutrient intake and diet quality.Nutr Res Rev. 2015 Jun;28(1):1-21. doi: 10.1017/S0954422414000262. Epub 2015 Mar 19. Nutr Res Rev. 2015. PMID: 25790334 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Meal skipping and variables related to energy balance in adults: a brief review, with emphasis on the breakfast meal.Physiol Behav. 2014 Jul;134:51-4. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.05.005. Epub 2014 May 11. Physiol Behav. 2014. PMID: 24825781 Review.
Cited by
-
Associations of regular consumption of breakfast, lunch and dinner with Body Mass Index during adolescence: longitudinal findings by weight status among the Eating and Activity over Time 2010-2018 cohort.Public Health Nutr. 2024 Feb 22;27(1):e95. doi: 10.1017/S1368980024000454. Public Health Nutr. 2024. PMID: 38384116 Free PMC article.
-
Dietary circadian rhythms and cardiovascular disease risk in the prospective NutriNet-Santé cohort.Nat Commun. 2023 Dec 14;14(1):7899. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-43444-3. Nat Commun. 2023. PMID: 38097547 Free PMC article.
-
Beliefs, self-efficacy, subjective norms, and eating behaviors according to the breakfast frequency among female university students in South Korea.Nutr Res Pract. 2023 Dec;17(6):1170-1184. doi: 10.4162/nrp.2023.17.6.1170. Epub 2023 Sep 7. Nutr Res Pract. 2023. PMID: 38053818 Free PMC article.
-
Effects of sleep on breakfast behaviors in recently unemployed adults.Sleep Health. 2024 Feb;10(1):114-121. doi: 10.1016/j.sleh.2023.09.001. Epub 2023 Nov 14. Sleep Health. 2024. PMID: 37973452
-
Snacking Behaviours of Australian Young Adults: Secondary Analysis of the MYMeals Cross-Sectional Study.Nutrients. 2023 Oct 22;15(20):4471. doi: 10.3390/nu15204471. Nutrients. 2023. PMID: 37892546 Free PMC article.
References
-
- Betts NM, et al. Ways young adults view foods. J Nutr Educ. 1997;29(2):73–79. doi: 10.1016/S0022-3182(97)70158-4. - DOI
-
- Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Health Survey: Nutrition First Results - Foods and Nutrients, 2011-12. Canberra: Australian Government; 2014.
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources