Breakfast habits and diet quality among university students and its effect on anthropometric measurements and academic success

Abstract

Background and Aim: Breakfast consumption is important especially for children and young people for mental development and school/academic success and also it has shown to be protective against obesity. The aim of this study is to investigate whether breakfast habits and diet quality affect anthropometric measurements and academic success among university students. Materials and Methods: A total of 365 students, aged between 17-27 years, attending a state University in Turkey, were enrolled for this study. A questionnaire on their eating habits and a diet quality index was designed for the students, anthropometric measurements and students' final Grade Point Average (GPA) were taken. Results: Having regular breakfast and a high quality diet has been recorded to have positive effects on the waist circumference as well as waist/hip ratio and GPA scores. Conclusion: It was concluded that regular breakfast habits and a diet of good quality have positive impact on school, academic and the overall health.