Breakfast skipping, nutritional status, and physical activity in a middle-aged Latin American population: a population-based study from Ecuador

espanolIntroduccion: la falta de no desayunar se ha asociado con el aumento de peso, un menor nivel de actividad fisica y una mala calidad de la dieta. Objetivo: evaluar la frecuencia de saltearse el desayuno en una poblacion ecuatoriana y su asociacion con el estado nutricional y el nivel de actividad fisica. Metodos: estudio de corte transversal de individuos que informaron la omision del desayuno en una encuesta nacional. El estado nutricional y la actividad fisica se evaluaron mediante medidas antropometricas y el cuestionario Internacional de Actividad Fisica, respectivamente. Resultados: la edad media de la muestra del estudio fue de 34,2 ± 14 anos, el 40% tenia entre 20 y 34 anos, la mitad eran mujeres, el 55% vivia en la region costera y la otra mitad se clasifico de nivel socioeconomico bajo. En general, el 6,6% de los participantes no menciono el desayuno en ambos recordatorios. Las personas que se saltearon el desayuno tenian mas probabilidades de tener entre 20 y 34 anos (42.6% vs. 37.4%) y ser de la region costera (61.1% vs. 51.8%) comparado con aquellos que si desayunaron. No se encontro una asociacion entre saltarse el desayuno y tener sobrepeso u obesidad (35.2% vs. 36.1%), ni lograr un bajo nivel de actividad fisica (28.6% vs. 29.8%). Ademas, los consumidores de desayuno (vs. no consumidores) tuvieron una mayor ingesta de energia total, macronutrientes (proteinas, carbohidratos, grasas totales, y azucares) y micronutrientes (fibra y calcio). Conclusiones: en Ecuador, ~ 7% de la poblacion se salta el desayuno. El estado nutricional y el nivel de actividad fisica no difirieron entre quienes desayunaron y quienes no lo hicieron. Sin embargo, las consecuencias de salud a largo plazo deben evitarse cambiando este habito alimentario. EnglishIntroduction: the failure to eat breakfast has been associated with weight gain, a lower level of physical activity, and poor diet quality. Objective: to examine the frequency of skipping breakfast in an Ecuadorian population and its association with nutritional status and level of physical activity. Methods: a cross-sectional study of individuals who reported breakfast omission in a national survey. Nutritional status and physical activity were evaluated through anthropometric measures and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, respectively. Results: the mean age of the study sample was 34.2 ± 14 years, 40% were aged 20 to 34 years, one half were women, 55% were living in the coastal region, and one half were classified as low socioeconomic status. Overall, 6.6% of participants did not mention breakfast in both recalls. Individuals who skipped breakfast were more likely to be aged 20 to 34 years (42.6% vs. 37.4%) and from the coastal region (61.1% vs. 51.8%) than those who ate breakfast. We did not find an association between skipping breakfast and being overweight or obese (35.2% vs. 36.1%), nor achieving a low level of physical activity (28.6% vs. 29.8%). In addition, breakfast consumers (vs. non-consumers) had higher intake of total energy, macronutrients (protein, carbohydrate, fat, and sugar), and micronutrients (fiber and calcium). Conclusions: in Ecuador, ~ 7% of the population skips breakfast. The nutritional status and level of physical activity did not differ between those who ate breakfast and those who did not. However, the long-term health consequences should be avoided by changing this eating habit.