Meal Timing Habits among Adults in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background. The global rise in noncommunicable diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular conditions, is a growing concern worldwide. Unhealthy dietary behaviors, specifically the habits of skipping breakfast and consuming late dinners, have emerged as key dietary behaviors with signifi...

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Main Authors: Sarah AlMuammar, Abeer Ahmed Algarni, Ftoon Badroun, Hanan Hassan Mushaeb, Raneem Khalid Abu Sadi, Areej Algarni
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2023-01-01
Series:Advances in Public Health
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2023/3932024
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author Sarah AlMuammar
Abeer Ahmed Algarni
Ftoon Badroun
Hanan Hassan Mushaeb
Raneem Khalid Abu Sadi
Areej Algarni
author_facet Sarah AlMuammar
Abeer Ahmed Algarni
Ftoon Badroun
Hanan Hassan Mushaeb
Raneem Khalid Abu Sadi
Areej Algarni
author_sort Sarah AlMuammar
collection DOAJ
description Background. The global rise in noncommunicable diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular conditions, is a growing concern worldwide. Unhealthy dietary behaviors, specifically the habits of skipping breakfast and consuming late dinners, have emerged as key dietary behaviors with significant health implications. Methods. This cross-sectional survey-based study aimed to investigate meal-timing habits among adults in Saudi Arabia, with a particular focus on breakfast skipping. Results. The study included 2,262 participants, of whom 58.0% were women and 42.0% were men. It found that 31.4% of participants had less than three meals per day, and 74.2% reported snacking. Moreover, 16.8% of participants skipped breakfast and 18.9% of participants had late dinner. Females were found to be 1.3 times more likely to skip breakfast than males (OR = 1.3, 95% CI 1.0–1.6, P=0.04), while unemployed individuals were three times more likely to skip breakfast than those with full-time jobs (OR = 3.0, 95% CI 1.3–7.1, P=0.01). Conclusion. The study highlights a high prevalence of breakfast skipping and late evening dinners among adults in Saudi Arabia, particularly among females and unemployed individuals. Targeted interventions to promote healthy eating habits are needed to improve nutritional status and prevent chronic diseases in this population.
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spelling doaj-art-0c88bf0a15154f168f45762afb5c9f8a2025-02-03T06:42:54ZengWileyAdvances in Public Health2314-77842023-01-01202310.1155/2023/3932024Meal Timing Habits among Adults in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional StudySarah AlMuammar0Abeer Ahmed Algarni1Ftoon Badroun2Hanan Hassan Mushaeb3Raneem Khalid Abu Sadi4Areej Algarni5Department of Family MedicineDepartment of Family MedicineDepartment of Family MedicineDepartment of Family MedicineDepartment of Family MedicineDepartment of Family MedicineBackground. The global rise in noncommunicable diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular conditions, is a growing concern worldwide. Unhealthy dietary behaviors, specifically the habits of skipping breakfast and consuming late dinners, have emerged as key dietary behaviors with significant health implications. Methods. This cross-sectional survey-based study aimed to investigate meal-timing habits among adults in Saudi Arabia, with a particular focus on breakfast skipping. Results. The study included 2,262 participants, of whom 58.0% were women and 42.0% were men. It found that 31.4% of participants had less than three meals per day, and 74.2% reported snacking. Moreover, 16.8% of participants skipped breakfast and 18.9% of participants had late dinner. Females were found to be 1.3 times more likely to skip breakfast than males (OR = 1.3, 95% CI 1.0–1.6, P=0.04), while unemployed individuals were three times more likely to skip breakfast than those with full-time jobs (OR = 3.0, 95% CI 1.3–7.1, P=0.01). Conclusion. The study highlights a high prevalence of breakfast skipping and late evening dinners among adults in Saudi Arabia, particularly among females and unemployed individuals. Targeted interventions to promote healthy eating habits are needed to improve nutritional status and prevent chronic diseases in this population.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2023/3932024
spellingShingle Sarah AlMuammar
Abeer Ahmed Algarni
Ftoon Badroun
Hanan Hassan Mushaeb
Raneem Khalid Abu Sadi
Areej Algarni
Meal Timing Habits among Adults in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study
Advances in Public Health
title Meal Timing Habits among Adults in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study
title_full Meal Timing Habits among Adults in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study
title_fullStr Meal Timing Habits among Adults in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study
title_full_unstemmed Meal Timing Habits among Adults in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study
title_short Meal Timing Habits among Adults in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study
title_sort meal timing habits among adults in saudi arabia a cross sectional study
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2023/3932024
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AT hananhassanmushaeb mealtiminghabitsamongadultsinsaudiarabiaacrosssectionalstudy
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