Breakfast Habits among School Children in Selected Communities in the Eastern Region of Ghana

Abstract

SUMMARYBackground: Breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day, yet many people skip breakfast. Studies indicate that school age children who regularly skip breakfast are not likely to concentrate in class, thus affecting school performance. This study determined the breakfast habits and nutrient contributions of the breakfast meal to the days' nutrient intake. Design: A cross sectional study was conducted among school children (n=359) between the ages of 6-19 years in Manya Krobo in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Questionnaires were used to collect information on background characteristics and breakfast consumption habits. The 24-hour dietary recall method was used to obtain information on the children's food intake. T-test was used to compare differences between means of variables of breakfast consumers and skippers. Results: About 85.5% of the children had breakfast on the day of interview. More boys (87.8%) consumed breakfast compared to the girls (83.1%). For those who skipped breakfast, lack of food at home or lack of no money (36.5%) was the main reason. Breakfast consumers had significantly higher energy and nutrient intakes than those who skipped breakfast (energy 2259 verses 1360 kcal, p-0.039; vitamin A 1534 verses 662 ug/RE, p=0.001; iron 22.9 verses 13.9 mg, p=0.017, zinc 9.9 verses 5.6 mg, p=0.034). The breakfast meal contributed between 32-41% of the day's energy intake, and between 30-47% of micronutrient intake. Conclusion: Encouraging breakfast consumption among school children is a way to ensure that they meet their daily nutrient and energy intakes.

Relationship between breakfast consumption, BMI status and physical fitness of Ghanaian school-aged children

“…Overall, overweight appears to be a more significant challenge than underweight in this study, as it was also 4 times higher, and this implies that overweight is a greater challenge and can become a national burden in this age group if the trend continues [20]. Breakfast consumption was high among this sample, with over three quarters consuming breakfast the morning of the dietary assessment, although this was lower than reported in a previous study in Ghana, where 85.5% of school children had breakfast before school [21]. Moreover, fewer children reported a difficulty in consuming breakfast before school, suggesting that breakfast skipping was less than an issue in these children.…”

Cross‐sectional study showed that breakfast consumption was associated with demographic, clinical and biochemical factors in children and adolescents

“…Although eating a regular breakfast was associated with favourable values of diastolic blood pressure and total and LDL cholesterol in our study, the differences between the sexes, energy consumption and physical activity could not be explained. Other studies have indicated that people who eat breakfast infrequently tend to eat fewer calories daily. They also have a poorer overall quality diet and an irregular distribution of energy consumption throughout the day, which, in association with missing breakfast, may be responsible for changes in their clinical and biochemical parameters.…”

“…In addition to a better overall quality of nutrition, studies suggest that the usual intake of breakfast is associated with a reduced risk of excess weight and reduced body mass index (BMI) in children and adolescents . This can mainly be attributed to the fact that children and adolescents who do not eat breakfast are less likely to have lunch and, or dinner regularly, tend to make poor food choices, consume unhealthy foods between meals, buy food outside home and be less physically active .…”

Nutritional status of in-school children and its associated factors in Denkyembour District, eastern region, Ghana: comparing schools with feeding and non-school feeding policies

“…The Ghana school feeding programme (GSFP) introduced in 2005 in some selected schools is one of such interventions to enhance nutrition and improve school attendance and education outcomes [7]. In resource limited nations, majority of school-aged children often walk long distances to school without having a morning and midday meal due to poverty [8]. The school feeding programme therefore offers these children with at least one free meal during school hours.…”