Abstract
Objective: We investigated the association of young single males' current frequency of breakfast intake with their recollections of childhood dietary habits.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 229 recently hired male employees from 5 different companies filled out a questionnaire. First, exploratory factor analysis was done to examine responses to the questionnaire, which consisted of 43 items about respondents' childhood dietary habits. Internal reliability for each dimension was also calculated. Second, three-step hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted to assess the relationship between childhood dietary habits and current eating behavior. As independent variables, demographics and health status were entered in Step 1, lifestyle habits in Step 2, and childhood dietary habits in Step 3.
Results: Of 229 participants, 215 responded to the questionnaire in full, with a mean age of 22.8 (SD 1.5) years. Exploratory factor analysis identified 30 items contributing to 6 factors: “meal preparation,” “varied meals,” “meals with family,” “eating manner,” “child-centered meals,” “regular meals,” with the solution accounting for 56.4% of the total variance. Internal reliability for each dimension was satisfactory. Three-step hierarchical multiple regression analysis found that “regular meals” in childhood was significantly associated with increased frequency of eating breakfast in adulthood (β = 0.355, Step 3). In addition, this association was stronger than that of current family structure or degree of physical activity, late dinner with frequency of eating breakfast.
Conclusion: Young single males who eat meals regularly in childhood are more likely to eat breakfast more frequently when they become adults. Regular meals in childhood might have a long-term impact on healthy eating among adult men.
