Consumption of certain beverages/snacks contributes to obesity. Also, poor sleep and skipping breakfast are contributors to this problem. Our objective was to evaluate the association between beverage/snack consumption and weight status, sleep and breakfast intake among students enrolled at Florida International University (FIU).
Methods
This cross-sectional study included all enrolled students at the main FIU campus in Miami. A link to an online survey was sent to active students to collect data on socio-demographics, beverage/snack intake, weight status, breakfast consumption and sleep duration. Logistic regression was used to evaluate these associations.
Results
A total of 603 students completed the survey but only 435 completed all questions in the survey. Most students were female (73.3%), Hispanics (61.1%), aged 16–25 years (67%) and 39.6% were overweight or obese. Breakfast was consumed daily by 49.2%, 59.3% reported sleeping 6–7 hours and 60% reported their overall sleep quality as fairly good. Compared to underweight/healthy weight, the odds of being overweight/obese is significantly higher if soft drinks (OR 1.72; 95% CI 1.11, 2.68), nuts/seeds (OR 2.09; 95% CI 1.07, 4.09), fruits (OR 1.82; 95% CI 1.18, 2.80) are consumed somewhat frequently (1–4 times per week) and when unsweetened yogurt/cottage cheese is never consumed (OR 3.29; 95% CI 1.15, 9.31). Also, compared to sleeping 8 or more hours per night, the odds of sleeping less time (6–7 hours/night) is higher when consuming chips or salty snacks (OR 2.97; 95% CI 1.01, 8.67) frequently (5 times or more per week) but lower when consuming pastries (OR 0.63; 95% CI 0.41, 0.98) frequently or somewhat frequently. Compared to consuming breakfast frequently, the odds of skipping breakfast is significantly higher if nuts (OR 9.40; 95% CI 1.17, 75.5), vegetables (OR 3.40; 1.25, 9.29) fruits (OR 3.01; 95% CI 1.05, 8.66) are consumed rarely or only a few times per week.
Conclusions
Frequency of consumption of certain beverages/snacks was associated with higher odds of obesity, less sleep and skipping breakfast. These results can potentially influence interventions and policy change for availability of beverages and snacks on college campus to promote health.
Funding Sources
Internal funds from Florida International University.
