Association of Breakfast Consumption Frequency with Depression and Anxiety Symptoms Among School Students: A Cross-Sectional Study in Eastern China
Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to explore the relationship between breakfast consumption frequency and both depression and anxiety symptoms among middle and high school students in Eastern China. Methods: In this school-based cross-sectional study, 27,001 middle and high school students were investigated in 2022. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between breakfast consumption frequency and both depression and anxiety symptoms. Results: The percentages of students who consumed breakfast daily, 6 days/week, 4–5 days/week, and ≤3 days/week were 71.0% (95%CI: 69.9–72.2), 8.3% (95%CI: 7.8–8.6), 11.9% (95%CI: 11.2–12.6), and 8.8% (95%CI: 8.2–9.5), respectively. After adjusting for socio-demographic and lifestyle factors, academic performance, self-reported health, and bullying victimization, compared to those consuming breakfast daily, the odds ratios (95%CI) for depression symptoms were 1.32 (1.15–1.52) for those consuming breakfast 6 days/week, 1.66 (1.49–1.84) for those consuming breakfast 4–5 days/week, and 1.74 (1.54–1.97) for those consuming breakfast ≤3 days/week, respectively (p < 0.001). The corresponding figures for anxiety symptoms were 1.31 (1.14–1.51), 1.35 (1.20–1.52), and 1.43 (1.23–1.66), respectively (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Breakfast skipping is common among middle and high school students in Eastern China. The frequency of breakfast consumption is inversely associated with both depression symptoms and anxiety symptoms…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a cross-sectional, done in people. Its evidence level is 4 of 5 (Low · observational). Observational designs can show an association but not prove cause.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Improving sleep quality leads to better mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
- Tocilizumab in patients with severe COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study
- A new aging measure captures morbidity and mortality risk across diverse subpopulations from NHANES IV: A cohort study
- Fruit, vegetable, and legume intake, and cardiovascular disease and deaths in 18 countries (PURE): a prospective cohort study
- Are noise and air pollution related to the incidence of dementia? A cohort study in London, England
- Long COVID symptoms and duration in SARS-CoV-2 positive children — a nationwide cohort study
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.