RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BREAKFAST AND FAST-FOOD CONSUMPTION ON BODY MASS INDEX AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN PENANG
Abstract
Overweight and obesity among adolescents have become an increasing public health concern globally, including in Malaysia, where unhealthy dietary behaviors may contribute to abnormal body mass index (BMI). Although previous studies have investigated diatary habits and obesity separately, evidence on the combined association between breakfast consumption, fast-food intake and BMI among Malaysian adolescents, particularly in northern Malaysian, remain limited. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the relationship between breakfast consumption, fast-food intake, and BMI among secondary school students in Penang, Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was conducted at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Dato’ Haji Ahmad Said involving 202 adolescents aged 13 to 16 years selected using convenience sampling. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire assessing dietary behaviours, particularly breakfast consumption and fast-food preference, along with anthropometric measurements to determine BMI. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 26.0. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise participant characteristics and chi-square tests were performed to examine the associations between dietary behaviors and BMI. The findings indicated that the largest proportion of respondents were underweight (42.1%), followed by normal weight (26.2%), obese class I (18.3%), obese class II (7.4%), and overweight (5.9%) respectively. A statistically significant association was observed between BMI and breakfast consumption (p = 0.030), indicating the breakfast-skipping behavior was associated with higher BMI categories. A significant association was also found between BMI and fast-food preference (p = 0.029), indicating that higher BMI categories were associated with greater fast-food consumption. These findings provide local evidence on dietary behaviors associated with BMI among Malaysian adolescents and support the development of school-based nutrition interventions that promote regular breakfast consumption and healthier food choices.