The Relationship Between Breakfast Skipping, Circadian Rhythm Disruption, and Concentration Levels Among University Students in Erbil City, 2025-2026
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64048/hir.v1n3.005Keywords:
Breakfast skipping, Circadian rhythm disruption, Concentration levels, University students, Academic performance, Sleep–wake patterns, Lifestyle behaviorsAbstract
Background and Aim Breakfast skipping and circadian rhythm disruption are increasingly prevalent lifestyle behaviors among university students and are recognized as important determinants of cognitive performance. Irregular meal timing and disrupted sleep–wake cycles may impair students’ ability to maintain attention and focus during academic activities. This study aimed to examine the relationship between breakfast skipping, circadian rhythm disruption, and concentration levels among university students in Erbil City during the 2025–2026 academic year.
Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted from October 30 to November 20, 2025, among university students in Erbil City using purposive sampling. Data were collected from five universities using a structured self-administered questionnaire that included sociodemographic characteristics, the Zainab Breakfast Skipping Assessment (ZBSA), the Akam-Circadian Rhythm Disruption Scale (AKAM-CRD), and the Concentration Levels-Akam Scale (CL-AKAM). Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 26.0. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s and Spearman’s correlation coefficients, chi-square tests, and multiple linear regression analyses were employed.
Results A total of 319 students participated in the study. Most participants demonstrated moderate levels of breakfast skipping (57.37%), circadian rhythm disruption (78.68%), and concentration (68.34%). Breakfast skipping was positively correlated with circadian rhythm disruption (r = 0.33, p < 0.01). Circadian rhythm disruption showed a significant negative association with concentration levels (r = −0.14, p < 0.01). In regression analysis, circadian rhythm disruption emerged as a stronger negative predictor of concentration compared with breakfast skipping.
Conclusion Breakfast skipping and circadian rhythm disruption are significantly associated with concentration levels among university students. Interventions promoting regular sleep–wake patterns and healthy breakfast habits may improve concentration and academic performance in this population.
Downloads
References
ALHUSSAIN, M. H., AL-RAMADHAN, F. R., BINOBEAD, M. A. & ARZOO, S. 2024. Association of Meal Irregularity and Chronotypes with Dietary and Sleep Patterns: A Cross-sectional Study. Journal of Clinical & Diagnostic Research, 18. https://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2024/67896.19309
ALKHALIDY, H., ORABI, A., ALZBOUN, T., ALNASER, K., AL-SHAMI, I. & AL-BAYYARI, N. 2021. Health-risk behaviors and dietary patterns among Jordanian college students: A pilot study. Frontiers in Nutrition, 8, 632035. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2021.632035
ALMORAIE, N. M., ALOTHMANI, N. M., ALOMARI, W. D. & AL-AMOUDI, A. H. 2024. Addressing nutritional issues and eating behaviours among university students: a narrative review. Nutrition research reviews, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954422424000088
ARORA, T., VAQUERIZO-VILLAR, F., HORNERO, R. & GOZAL, D. 2025. Sleep irregularity is associated with night-time technology, dysfunctional sleep beliefs and subjective sleep parameters amongst female university students. Scientific Reports, 15, 6374. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-90720-x
ASADULLAH, M., HASHIM, S., ANWAR, A., REHMAN, M. A., SALEEM, N. & MUNEEB, A. 2024. The Impact of Breakfast Omission on Daily Activities and Academic Achievement: A Cross-Sectional Study at Fazaia Ruth Pfau Medical College. Recent Progress in Nutrition, 4, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.21926/rpn.2403016
CHENG, S.-H. & REBECCA YEW, L. Q. 2025. Breakfast Skipping: Influencing Factors and its Impact on Cognitive Function and Academic Performance among Malaysian University Students. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 00315125251329999. https://doi.org/10.1177/00315125251329999
CROUSE, J. J., CARPENTER, J. S., SONG, Y. J. C., HOCKEY, S. J., NAISMITH, S. L., GRUNSTEIN, R. R., SCOTT, E. M., MERIKANGAS, K. R., SCOTT, J. & HICKIE, I. B. 2021. Circadian rhythm sleep–wake disturbances and depression in young people: implications for prevention and early intervention. The Lancet Psychiatry, 8, 813-823. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(21)00034-1
DIETEREN, C. & BONFRER, I. 2021. Socioeconomic inequalities in lifestyle risk factors across low-and middle-income countries. BMC Public Health, 21, 951. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-11014-1
FAREEQ SABER, A., MASIH, S., KARIMIRAD, M. R., SHARIFI, F. & MANOOKIAN, A. 2024. The relationship between internet addiction, sleep quality, and psycho‐social problems among secondary school students in Erbil, 2023–2024. Public Health Nursing, 41, 933-942. https://doi.org/10.1111/phn.13353
GABAY, L., MILLER, P., ALIA-KLEIN, N. & LEWIN, M. P. 2022. Circadian effects on attention and working memory in college students with attention deficit and hyperactivity symptoms. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 851502. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.851502
GRUMMON, A. H., SOKOL, R. L. & LYTLE, L. A. 2021. Is late bedtime an overlooked sleep behaviour? Investigating associations between sleep timing, sleep duration and eating behaviours in adolescence and adulthood. Public health nutrition, 24, 1671-1677. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980020002050
KHAN, M. S. I., PAUL, T., AL BANNA, M. H., HAMIDUZZAMAN, M., TENGAN, C., KISSI-ABROKWAH, B., TETTEH, J. K., HOSSAIN, F., ISLAM, M. S. & BRAZENDALE, K. 2024. Skipping breakfast and its association with sociodemographic characteristics, night eating syndrome, and sleep quality among university students in Bangladesh. BMC nutrition, 10, 46. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40795-024-00860-y
KIM, H. M., KANG, H. J., LEE, D. H., JEONG, S.-M. & JOH, H.-K. 2023. Association between breakfast frequency and metabolic syndrome among young adults in South Korea. Scientific reports, 13, 16826. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-43957-3
MAHALLE, S. 2025. WELLBEING OF STUDENTS LINKED TO LIFESTYLE SLEEP AND EATING HABITS. International Journal of Social, Mental and Public Health, 1, 5-5.
MINARI, T. P. & PISANI, L. P. 2025. Skipping breakfast and its wide-ranging health consequences: A systematic review from multiple metabolic disruptions to socioeconomic factors. Nutrition Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nutres.2025.07.006
MOTA, S. G. D., JESUS, I. T. M. D., INOUYE, K., MACEDO, M. N. G. F., BRITO, T. R. P. D. & SANTOS-ORLANDI, A. A. D. 2021. Is poor quality sleep present in older adults with worse social and health status? Texto & Contexto-Enfermagem, 30, e20200614. https://doi.org/10.1590/1980-265x-tce-2020-0614
OKUDA, M., NODA, A., IWAMOTO, K., NAKASHIMA, H., TAKEDA, K., MIYATA, S., YASUMA, F., OZAKI, N. & SHIMOUCHI, A. 2021. Effects of long sleep time and irregular sleep–wake rhythm on cognitive function in older people. Scientific reports, 11, 7039. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-85817-y
SCHULER, C. B. & HOPE, K. M. 2020. Circadian rhythm: Light-dark cycles. Integrative and functional medical nutrition therapy: Principles and practices. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30730-1_34
SHAH, S. M. K. A., AKHLAQ, M., RIZWAN, S., ALUM, M. K., NAZIR, A., FAROOQ, A., ILYAS, H. & TEHREEM, S. 2025. THE IMPACT OF BREAKFAST AND DIETARY PATTERNS ON MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW. Kashf Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 2, 106-122. https://doi.org/10.71146/kjmr451
TABER, K. S. 2018. The use of Cronbach’s alpha when developing and reporting research instruments in science education. Research in science education, 48, 1273-1296. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-016-9602-2
TAJWAR, T. 2024. MARRIED VS UNMARRIED LIFE, LEAD BY TERTIARY LEVEL STUDENTS: AN OPINION BASED SURVEY TO INTERPRET DIFFERENT ASPECTS AMONG THE UNIVERSITY GOING STUDENTS IN BANGLADESH. Prizren Social Science Journal, 8, 31-39. https://doi.org/10.32936/pssj.v8i3.526
TEIXEIRA, G. P., MOTA, M. C. & CRISPIM, C. A. 2018. Eveningness is associated with skipping breakfast and poor nutritional intake in Brazilian undergraduate students. Chronobiology international, 35, 358-367. https://doi.org/10.1080/07420528.2017.1407778
VALDEZ, P. 2019. Circadian rhythms in attention. The Yale journal of biology and medicine, 92, 81.
YEO, S. C., LAI, C. K., TAN, J., LIM, S., CHANDRAMOGHAN, Y., TAN, T. K. & GOOLEY, J. J. 2023. Early morning university classes are associated with impaired sleep and academic performance. Nature Human Behaviour, 7, 502-514. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01531-x
Downloads
Published
Data Availability Statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Akam Ahmad Radha
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All articles published in Health Innovation Reports are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This means anyone is free to share and adapt the work, provided proper attribution is given to the original authors and source.
How to Cite
