The relationship between sleep quality and breakfast, mid-morning snack, and dinner and physical activity habits among adolescents: a cross-sectional study in Yazd, Iran

Abstract

Healthy lifestyles are important during adolescence due to their impact on health-related problems and life expectancy during adulthood. Despite the emphasis on the importance of healthy habits, the high prevalence of breakfast skipping, physical inactivity, and insufficient sleep is reported among adolescents. This study was aimed to investigate the relationship between sleep quality (SQ) and nutritional habits among adolescents of Yazd. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 569 students aged 12–16 years of six high schools in Yazd, Iran, by a multistage random cluster sampling method. Anthropometric data were measured by precise instruments. Nutritional and PA habits were collected by asking some questions. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index questionnaire was used to assess SQ. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 22). The breakfast skipping and semi-skipping (57.2%), overweight or obesity (37.8%), and insufficient sleep duration (38.9%) were common. Poor SQ was reported in 63.7% of the students, but a significant relationship was not illustrated between SQ with breakfast frequency, weight, breakfast time, and midmorning snack intake. A significant relationship was found between poor SQ with a later bedtime (p < 0.0001), mild PA (p = 0.016), late dinner (p < 0.004), and famine (p = 0.02). This study highlighted the associations between SQ with dinnertime, bedtime, and PA. Also, a significant association was not reported between the SQ with breakfast frequency, breakfast time, snack consumption, and weight. This study suggested paying more attention to healthy sleep habits during adolescence, apart from guidance for diet and PA during adolescence.