Breakfast consumption habits among schoolchildren: A cross-sectional study in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

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 (<four times per the whole week). The prevalence of breakfast skipping among primary school students statistically increase with age. It is ultimately the responsibility of parents to ensure that young children are eating breakfast, and so it is crucial to make sure that such parents are educated on the benefits of this meal for their children. School health and nutritional programs are recommended to improve dietary practices and nutritional awareness for schoolchildren.

Breakfast Eating Habits and Lifestyle Behaviors among Saudi Primary School Children Attending Public Versus Private Schools

“…In addition, there is a scarcity of information on the differences in breakfast eating habits and lifestyle behaviors between children in public and private schools, despite the differences in the socioeconomic status of families of children attending private schools compared to those attending public schools [ 21 ]. Additionally, published studies in Saudi Arabia have been focusing on the prevalence of breakfast skipping in general and its associations with lifestyle behaviors without paying attention to the disparities in breakfast eating and lifestyle habits between public and private schools [ 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 ]. Generally speaking, research evaluating the differences in eating habits and lifestyle behaviors relative to school type is limited.…”