Research
Breakfast consumption affects adequacy of total daily intake in children

https://doi.org/10.1016/0002-8223(93)91527-WGet rights and content

Abstract

Breakfast consumption patterns were assessed for 467 10-year-old children (59% white, 50% girls), who were interviewed in 1984–1985 or in 1987–1988. Consumption patterns were then related to mean daily nutrient intake patterns. More whites (56%) and more girls (46%) ate breakfast at home, whereas more blacks (58%) and more boys (49%) ate breakfast at school. Results indicated that 16% of all children skipped breakfast; the highest percentage was in black girls (24%). Breakfast consumption made a significant contribution to the child's mean daily nutrient intake. The average total energy intake was significantly lower for children who did not consume breakfast (mean = 1,821 kcal) and for children who consumed breakfast at home (mean = 2,098 kcal) compared with children who consumed breakfast at school (mean = 2,326 kcal). A similar pattern was noted for macronutrient contribution. Percentage of total energy from fat was lower in children who did not eat breakfast (34%) compared with those who did (37% to 39%), yet percentage of energy from carbohydrate was higher (53%) in children who did not eat breakfast. Children who skipped breakfast did not make up the differences in dietary intakes at other meals. A higher percentage of children who did not consume breakfast compared with those who ate breakfast did not meet two thirds of the Recommended Dietary Allowance for vitamins and minerals. These data confirm the importance of breakfast to overall dietary quality and adequacy in school-age children.

Section snippets

Population

The Bogalusa Heart Study, which began 20 years ago, is an epidemiologic investigation of cardiovascular risk factors and environmental determinants in a biracial pediatric population. A detailed description of the study design, participation, and protocols has been reported elsewhere 33., 34..

Dietary interviews (24 hour) were conducted with 10-year-old children in two cross-sectional surveys. In both the 1984–1985 survey and in the 1987–1988 survey there were 284 children. For the purpose of

Mean Daily Intake by Breakfast Consumption Pattern

To assess the effect of breakfast consumption on total daily intake, mean total daily intakes of 15 dietary components were assessed for each of the three breakfast groups (school, home, and no breakfast). Table 2 shows that mean daily intakes of energy and protein of children who consumed breakfast at school were significantly greater than intakes of children who consumed breakfast at home or who did not consume breakfast. Mean daily intakes of total carbohydrate, sugar, cholesterol, and

DISCUSSION

A limited number of studies have investigated the influence of breakfast consumption on nutrient intake levels of children 26., 28., 29., 30., 31., 32.. Several of these have indicated that omission of breakfast or consumption of an inadequate breakfast were factors contributing to dietary inadequacies and that these inadequacies were rarely made up by other meals during the remainder of the day. In 1981, Morgan et al (28) reported that, on the average, children aged 5 to 12 years consumed

APPLICATIONS

An effort to encourage breakfast consumption and to modify the meals both at home and at school so that they include more healthful choices would be an important step toward the achievement of the objectives for Healthy People 2000 (15).

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Suzie Svehlak, RD, nutrition coordinator in Bogalusa, for assistance with data collection and tabulations, Margaret Moore, for development and maintenance of the Extended Table of Nutrient Values database; and Pat Constant for help in preparing the manuscript. We wish also to thank the children of Bogalusa without whom this work could not be accomplished.

References (43)

  • Food and Nutrition Board

    Diet and Health, Implications for Reducing Chronic Disease

  • GS Berenson et al.

    Coronary artery disease prevention: cholesterol, a pediatric perspective

    Prev Med

    (1989)
  • R Doll et al.

    The causes of cancer: quantitative estimates of avoidable risks of cancer in the United States today

    J Natl Cancer Inst

    (1981)
  • TA Nicklas et al.

    Studies of consistency of dietary intake during the first four years of life in a prospective analysis: Bogalusa Heart Study

    J Am Coll Nutr

    (1991)
  • WH Gifft et al.

    Nutrition, Behavior and Change

    WH Gifft et al.

    Nutrition, Behavior and Change

  • TA Nicklas et al.

    Nutritional studies in children and implications for change: the Bogalusa Heart Study

    J Adv Med

    (1989)
  • RP Farris et al.

    Characterizing children's eating behavior

  • TA Nicklas et al.

    Food Sources of Nutrients: A Tool for Dietary Management and Health. The Bogalusa Heart Study 1973–1983

    (1990)
  • Human Nutrition Information Service

    Nationwide Food Consumption Survey, Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals. Women 19–50 Years and Their Children 1–5 Years, 4 Days, 1986

  • Cited by (0)

    This continuing research is supported by funds from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the US Public Health Service. Early natural history of arteriosclerosis grant no. 5R01 HL38844-03.

    View full text