Breakfast eating practices and diet quality among urban and rural Indonesian adults

Abstract:
Introduction: Diet quality is an important determinant of health; however, many Indonesian adults have poor dietary intake, with low fruit and vegetable consumption and high intake of fats and fried foods. Breakfast plays a crucial role in shaping diet quality and health outcomes, but practices vary widely across populations. Urban adults are more exposed to processed foods and eating out, while rural adults rely on staple-based diets. This study explored the association between breakfast practices and overall diet quality among Indonesian adults in urban and rural areas. Methods: Data from the Indonesia Food Barometer 2018were analysed for 770 adults aged 26–45 years from six provinces. Breakfast practices, including consumption, location, companion, activity, and preparation,
were assessed alongside socioeconomic characteristics (age, gender, job, education level, and wealth index). Diet quality was measured using the Diet Quality IndexInternational. Statistical analyses included chi-square, Mann–Whitney, and Kruskal–Wallis tests and linear regression.
Results:
In rural areas, gender and breakfast activity were significantly associated with diet quality (p smaller than 0.05) In urban areas, age and breakfast consumption were significant factors (p smaller than 0.05) Across both settings, breakfast-related practices showed significant associations with diet quality. Conclusion: Associations between breakfast practices and diet quality differed between urban and rural adults, underscoring the importance of contextspecific strategies. Interventions to improve diet quality should therefore be tailored to local dietary behaviours and environments.