Evidence suggests that breakfast consumption can enhance cognitive and psychosocial function, academic performance, and school attendance of schoolchildren. Also, there is some evidence to suggest that children who frequently skip breakfast have a higher risk of being obese compared to those children that regularly consume breakfast. There is a growing body of literature that recognizes the importance of this meal for school children. However, a limited number of researchers have explored the breakfast habits among Saudi young school children. We assessed breakfast consumption habits, food preferences and student perspectives concerning breakfast consumption among young Saudi female students living in Riyadh city. A cross-sectional study of 384 female primary school students was conducted in 2016. Four schools each from government and private sector, located in different zones of Riyadh were randomly selected for the study. Age, anthropometric measurements, health status of the students, and information regarding breakfast habits and preferred food choices were collected. Mean and standard deviation (SD) was used to present continuous data. Categorical data was presented in frequencies and percentages. To compare the difference in means, independent t-test was also used. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 22) was used for the analysis of data. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Eighty-eight percent of schoolchildren reported that they consume breakfast, with only 2% having regular breakfast more than four days a week. The mean (±SD) age of those who consume breakfast was significantly lower than those who usually skipped breakfast. Milk and dairy products and/or carbohydrates were the preferred breakfast food choice of most schoolchildren. Although, only 12% of the schoolchildren in the sample reported not to consume breakfast, the majority of the rest of the students reported not to be frequent breakfast consumers (

Breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day, especially for schoolchildren. To address the need for data to develop public health policies and programs for children in Saudi Arabia, we aimed to investigate the association between breakfast consumption habits and cognitive/academic performances among primary schoolchildren in Riyadh. A cross-sectional study was conducted among schoolchildren (aged 6 to 12 years), randomly selected from 8 primary schools. Anthropometric measurements were obtained to determine the body mass index (BMI)-for-age percentile. A self-reported questionnaire was used to collect information on their breakfast consumption habits. Cognitive functioning was assessed using the Raven Progressive Matrices test. The academic performance was determined using their scores in three subjects. Statistical analyses were performed using STATA 15 (Stata Corp., College Station, Texas). A total of 384 students were included in this study. The mean (± SD) age of the subjects was 9.1 ± 1.7 years. Sixty percent of the schoolchildren reported consuming breakfast more than 4 times per week. Breakfast consumption was significantly associated with cognitive test scores. Children who consumed breakfast regularly were found to be twice more likely to achieve higher cognitive scores compared to those who were not regular breakfast consumers. A greater percentage of schoolchildren who consumed breakfast regularly achieved excellent scores in mathematics (78%), science (87%), and Arabic language (98%). However, the difference in the academic performances of regular breakfast consumers and skippers did not achieve statistical significance. In conclusion, the findings of the present study support the hypothesis that regular consumption of breakfast has a short-term positive impact on the cognitive function and performance among young children. Nevertheless, the long-term beneficial effects of having regular breakfast on the academic performances of schoolchildren were not confirmed. School breakfast programs should, therefore, be developed and implemented to promote healthy eating habits among school-age children.