Assessment of breakfast and physical activity habits in college students at a rural private institution

Problem Statement: Breakfast is considered the most influential meal and a key component of weight control, but it is believed that many college students tend to skip this meal. Purpose: To assess relationships between breakfast habits, body composition, and physical activity in undergraduate college students at a rural private university. Approach: Undergraduate college students (n = 197) completed a survey about breakfast and physical activity habits and completed body composition and body mass index (BMI) assessments. A chi-square analysis was used to determine the relationships between survey responses, body composition, and BMI. Results: The analysis revealed that the greater number of days of physical activity participation the more often breakfast is consumed (p < .001), athletes consume breakfast more frequently than non-athletes (p = .01), and on-campus students consume breakfast less frequently than off-campus students (p = .026). Conclusions: Some recognized themes from the data suggest that undergraduate students who consumed breakfast consistently chose healthier breakfast foods, off-campus students had better access to breakfast foods compared to on-campus students, and athletes consumed breakfast more frequently due to greater energy needs. These results suggest that college students who participate in at least one healthy lifestyle habit are likely to participate in more, and these healthy habits established in young adulthood can translate into lifelong health.