الفهرس 
AIM OF THE WORKOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Obesity in childhood and adolescence is emerging as a major public health problem of our time and is known to be associated with substantial loss of quality of life and social stigmatisation that may trigger or exacerbate depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and feelings of guilt. Studies have shown that the economic costs of obesity are substantial. Although the prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide, the increase has been faster in developing countries because of declining levels of physical activity as well as nutrition transition characterised by a trend towards consumption of a diet high in fat, sugar and refined foods and low in fibre. Dietary habits are one of the modifiable risk factors for obesity in childhood and adolescence.
The developmental transition (physical, psychological and social) during adolescence provides a context for development and perpetuation of eating behaviours that are substantially different from those in other phases of life. After the age of 12 years, adolescent girls seldom conform to a regular pattern of three meals a day, with over 50% of them admitting that they eat at least five times a day. Healthy eating behaviour during adolescence is a fundamental prerequisite for physical growth, psychosocial development and cognitive performance, as well as for the prevention of diet-related chronic diseases in adulthood. In this context, unhealthy eating behaviour is therefore a serious health issue and should be addressed.
Both clinical experience and research data indicate that irregular meal patterns are associated with obesity and that overeating is linked to breakfast skipping. Despite the availability of reports from developing countries showing the influence of eating patterns on the escalating prevalence of obesity, little is known about this relationship in the Nigerian setting. Adolescent girls as a group are highly receptive to new food products and to fast foods, largely owing to peer group influence. As a consequence, their food habits tend to be dynamic and change with time. In view of the fact that the outcome of drug therapy to curb overeating and obesity in adolescent girls is generally poor, efforts to halt the escalating prevalence of obesity in this age group in developing countries must include increased attention to healthy dietary practices. This is important because studies have shown that adolescents tend to have insufficient knowledge of healthy dietary habits. Given that prevention is the only viable long-term strategy for tackling obesity, there is a need to understand eating patterns and habits among adolescent schoolgirls before instituting effective remedial measures by means of a school-based health education programme.
The purpose of study the impact of breakfast meal intake and food habits on the nutritional status of preparatory school adolescents in Alexandria.
Four preparatory schools were included in the study, two for boys (one governmental school and one non-governmental) and two schools for girls (one governmental school and one non-governmental). The sample was equally allocated between the schools. from each school, one class was selected randomly from each grade to complete the required sample of school adolescents.