Dietary Habits, Meal Timing, and Meal Frequency in Kuwaiti Adults: Analysis of the Kuwait National Nutrition Surveillance Data

Abstract

Dietary habits, including meal frequency, meal timing, and skipping meals, have been extensively studied due to their association with the development of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). This study describes dietary habits, meal timing, frequency, skipping meals, and late-night eating in Kuwaiti adults. Kuwait National Nutrition Surveillance System data were utilized to reach the objectives of this study. The findings reveal that approximately 54% of the adults in Kuwait eat after 10 p.m., 29% skip breakfast, and 9.8% skip dinner. Furthermore, adults in Kuwait consume 4.4 meals per day on average. Women skip breakfast more often and have more extended night fasting than men (p < 0.001). Married adults skip breakfast and dinner less than unmarried adults (p < 0.001). In conclusion, this descriptive study provides valuable insights into the dietary habits of Kuwaiti adults, emphasizing the importance of further investigating the association between meal timing, meal frequency, and the prevalence of NCDs in Kuwait.

Association of Nightly Fasting, Meal Frequency, and Skipping Meals with Metabolic Syndrome among Kuwaiti Adults

“…In a culture where snacking is more prevalent and meal timing is more variable, it is difficult to distinguish between meals and snacks [24]. A study in Kuwait using the same data as those used in the present study reported that the population consumed 4.4 meals daily on average, defined as any eating episode, in a range of 1 meal to 10 meals [25].…”