Factors related to depression, skipping breakfast, and breakfast quality among thai medical students: A cross-sectional study

Introduction: Depression incidence and lifestyle factors, especially breakfast consumption, are associated with both mental and physical well-being among medical students. To promote the well-being of medical students, the relationship between depression levels and skipping breakfast was investigated in 1st- to 6th-year medical students. Methods: Our cross-sectional study was conducted between June and October 2023. We assessed breakfast quality and skipping breakfast using a questionnaire of breakfast behaviour and the Thai versions of both the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Multiple and ordinal logistic regression analyses were performed to identify significant factors related to depression and skipping breakfast. Results: In this study, participants were medical students (n = 256), among which 39.8 % were male and 60.2 % female; the prevalence of depression and skipping breakfast was 12.11 % and 72.27 %, respectively. Skipping breakfast was significantly associated with breakfast quality (p-value < 0.001), but not depression levels. Older students (OR = 1.19, 95 % CI [1.02, 1.39], p-value < 0.026); poor quality of breakfast (OR = 3.04, 95 % CI [1.66, 5.58], p-value < 0.001); and not living at home were significantly linked to skipping breakfast. Depression levels were associated with being female, poor sleep quality, family history of psychological disorders, and living in dormitories. However, age was found to be a significant protective factor against depression. Conclusions: Breakfast quality, sleep quality, current accommodation, and family history of psychological disorders should be considered to promote the improvement of medical students’ mental health.