| Popis: |
This study aimed to assess the association of meal frequency with anthropometric measures and blood pressure in Iranian children and adolescents.In this national survey, 14,880 students with 6-18 years of age were selected by stratified multistage sampling method from urban and rural regions of 30 provinces of Iran. Meal frequency was assessed by a questionnaire prepared based on global school-based student health survey .Physical measurements included height, weight, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP).The participation rate was 90.6% including 49.24% girls and 75.5% urban residents. Skipping breakfast and dinner were more frequent in girls than in boys (71.6% vs. 64.1%, 91.2% vs. 86.9%, respectively, P0.05). Overweight, obesity, and abdominal obesity were more prevalent in those who had 2meals, 1 meal or very low intake (P-value0.001) than those had 3 meals. There were no significant differences in SBP, DBP, and blood pressure across to different meal frequency groups (P-value0.05). Students who had very low intake and 1 meal per week had more risk of abdominal obesity compared with those who had 3 meals (OR 1.7, CI 95%: 1.3-2.3, and OR 1.6, CI 95%: 1.4-2.0, respectively).An inverse significant association between higher meal frequency and anthropometric indices was observed. Therefore, encouraging children and adolescents for regular meal intake should be considered as a health priority in the pediatric population. |
