Associations between habitual school-day breakfast consumption, body mass index, physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness in English schoolchildren

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess associations between habitual school-day breakfast consumption, body mass index (BMI), physical activity (PA) and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). Methods: BMI, PA and CRF were measured in 4326 schoolchildren aged 10-16 years. Participants were classified as obese or non-obese, as having low or high PA and CRF. Habitual school-day breakfast consumption was assessed by a questionnaire and classified as never, sometimes or always. Results: Participants who sometimes ate breakfast were more likely to be obese than those who always did (Po0.05). Boys who never ate breakfast were more likely to have low PA odds ratio (OR) 2.17, 95% CI 1.48-3.18) and low CRF (OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.40-2.93) than those who always did. Compared with those who always did so, girls were more likely to have low PA if they sometimes (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.13-1.70) or never (1.48 95% CI 1.06-2.05) ate breakfast, but the likelihood of low CRF was not different between groups. Conclusions: Habitual breakfast consumption is associated with healthy BMI and higher PA levels in schoolchildren. In boys, regularly eating breakfast is also associated with higher levels of CRF. The higher PA observed in habitual breakfast eaters may explain the higher CRF values observed. These positive health behaviours and outcomes support the encouragement of regular breakfast eating in this age group.

Association of breakfast consumption with objectively measured and self-reported physical activity, sedentary time and physical fitness in European adolescents: the HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence) Study

“…Moreover, we observed that male and female breakfast skippers were less likely to have high cardiorespiratory fitness, both objectively measured and self-reported, than breakfast consumers. Similar results were observed by Sandercock et al (6) , although the authors failed to take into account the socio-economic status (e.g. educational level of parents and family affluence) as a potential confounder, which has been associated with breakfast consumption (2,32) .…”

“…They did not find a significant relationship between eating breakfast and objectively measured physical activity (5) . In contrast, other authors showed higher levels of selfreported physical activity in those youngsters who were breakfast consumers (6,8) . The different methodology used to assess physical activity may explain differences among our findings and those previously observed.…”

Does consuming breakfast influence activity levels? An experiment into the effect of breakfast consumption on eating habits and energy expenditure

“…In their study investigating breakfast, BMI and physical activity and fitness, Sandercock et al (14) succinctly summarised the relationship between eating breakfast and BMI: breakfast eaters have a lower BMI and better longterm weight control. However, as Sandercock et al (14) pointed out, the mechanisms by which breakfast influences BMI have so far not been identified. One likely reason for this is the cross-sectional design of the majority of studies, relying largely on self-reports, which cannot explore cause-and-effect relationships.…”

Effect of breakfast glycemic index on metabolic responses during rest and exercise in overweight and non-overweight adolescent girls

“…Several lines of evidence have demonstrated benefits associated with regular breakfast consumption in children and adolescents, relating to academic performance (Lien, 2007), nutrition (Barton et al, 2005;Song et al, 2006), cardiorespiratory fitness and obesity (Sandercock et al, 2010). However, the relationship between breakfast and health benefits may not be because of consumption per se, but rather breakfast composition (Cho et al, 2003).…”