UNILORIN don cautions students against skipping meals
By Bashir Dawodu
A Senior Lecturer at the Department of Health Promotion and Environmental Health Education, University of Ilorin, Dr Joke Felicia James, has urged Nigerians, particularly students of the institution, to avoid skipping meals in order to maintain healthy living.
Dr James made this call last Wednesday, (September 2, 2026). while discussing findings from her research, titled “Implications of Meal Skipping Among Undergraduates of University of Ilorin”, during an interview with the UNILORIN Bulletin in her office.
The don noted that meal skipping is the act of missing one or more of the traditional main meals, breakfast, lunch, or dinner during the day.
She explained that people often miss meals due to busy schedules, lack of time, financial constraints, or as an intentional effort to reduce calorie intake for weight loss.
“Meal skipping is a documented unhealthy practice associated with poor dietary choices and unhealthy nutritional patterns among undergraduates of the University of Ilorin,” Dr James said.
She pointed out that University students frequently skip meals, especially breakfast, due to tight academic schedules, early classes, lack of time, financial constraints, and poor sleep habits.
The don added that busy lifestyles and stress from coursework often override regular eating patterns, leading many students to miss meals entirely or rely on quick snacks, which could negatively affect their health.
She said skipping meals for whatever reason could be detrimental to the health of adolescents and young adults, adding that missing breakfast among undergraduates could lead to negative health, cognitive, and academic consequences.
The health promotion expert advised that students should not be subjected to back-to-back early morning or mandatory midday classes without adequate breaks that allow them to eat. She also called for adequate access to affordable food in campus cafeterias.
She further noted that periodic, widespread awareness campaigns should be organised to educate students on how regular eating can improve cognitive function, memory and academic performance.
