A Study to Assess The Effects of Skipping Breakfast and Its Consequences (Physical, Mental, Social) Among College Going Students in Pune City

The first meal of the day has long been promoted as a healthy way to start the day. Breakfast is described as the most important meal of the day, contributing substantially to daily nutrient intake and energy needs. Students have many excuses for skipping breakfast. Many students are busy until late into the night with homework, extracurricular activities.

1. To study the breakfast habit of the students. 2. To find out the reason for skipping breakfast. 3. To assess the consequences (physical, mental, social) of skipping breakfast on college going students. 4. To find the association between effects of skipping breakfast and selected demographic variables.

A descriptive approach was adopted for the study and 100 college students were selected through purposive sampling technique from selected colleges of Pune city. A baseline proforma with 13 items was developed. Self-structured questionnaire and checklist were used to assess the effects of skipping breakfast on college going students.

Result indicated that 72% of the students had Mid-morning craving. 77% of them had Lower energy level. 48% of them had Low blood sugar level. 36% of them had Weight gain. 54% of them had weight loss. 65% of them had Dizziness. 79% of them had weakness. 78% of them had headache. 45% of them had Tingling sensation. 31% of them had High blood pressure. 34% of them had low blood pressure. 21% of them had heart disease. 39% of them had gastritis. 63% of them were less physically active. 67% of them were unhappy. 58% of them had poor academic performance. 72% of them had decreased alertness. 64% of them had less memory capacity. 81% of them had inability to focus. 76% of them had irritability or restlessness. 93% of them had dull mood. 76% of them had less self-confidence. 69% of them had difficulty in maintaining relations with friends/family. 78% of them had increased absenteeism.2% of the students did not had any effect of skipping breakfast. 22% of them had mild effects, 62% of them had moderate effects and 14% of them had severe effects. Since p-values corresponding to education level and information on skipping breakfast are small (less than 0.05), education level and information on skipping breakfast were found to have significant association with the effects of skipping breakfast among college students. None of the other demographic variables was found to have significant association with the effects of skipping breakfast among college students. Conclusion The study concluded that education level and information on skipping breakfast were found to have significant association with the effects of skipping breakfast among college students. None of the other demographic variables was found to have significant association with the effects of skipping breakfast among college students.