Family sociodemographic characteristics as correlates of children’s breakfast habits and weight status in eight European countries. The ENERGY (EuropeaN Energy balance Research to prevent excessive weight Gain among Youth) project

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the associations of family sociodemographic characteristics with children's weight status and whether these potential associations are mediated by children's breakfast habits. Design: A school-based survey among 10-12-year-old children was conducted in eight European countries. Children's weight and height were measured and breakfast habits and family sociodemographic characteristics were self-reported by 5444 children and their parents. International Obesity Task Force cut-off points were used to categorize children as overweight/obese or normal weight. Mediation analyses were used to test the potential mediating effect of children's breakfast consumption on the associations between family sociodemographic characteristics and children's overweight/obesity. Setting: Schools in eight European countries participating in the ENERGY (EuropeaN Energy balance Research to prevent excessive weight Gain among Youth) project. Subjects: Children aged 10-12 years and their parents (n 5444). Results: Children's reported daily breakfast consumption varied from 56 % in Slovenia to 92 % in Spain on weekdays and from 79 % in Greece to 93 % in Norway on weekends. Children of native parents, with both parents employed and with at least one parent having more than 14 years of education were more likely to consume breakfast daily and less likely to be overweight/obese. Finally, mediation analyses revealed that the association of parental nationality and parental educational status with children's overweight/obesity was partially mediated by children's daily breakfast consumption. Conclusions: The study shows that the lower likelihood of being overweight/obese among 10-12-year-old children of native background and higher parental educational status was partially mediated by children's daily breakfast consumption.

Skipping breakfast among 8-9 year old children is associated with teacher-reported but not objectively measured academic performance two years later

“…The prevalence of skipping breakfast was lower than in other international studies using national data [9,10,23] with only 10% of children skipping breakfast at least once. This could be explained by the young age of our cohort, as skipping breakfast has been shown to increase with age [9,24] and previous studies included older children (aged 9-14 years old).…”

“…Short questions referring to breakfast consumption on the current day (as used here) are less prone to recall bias but may not capture usual eating patterns. Other studies have used a meal identified as breakfast in a 24-h recall [9]; eating or drinking something at home before school [10]; and eating within 2 hours of getting up [23].…”

Skipping breakfast and associated factors among Brazilian adolescents

“…Several studies have found a positive association between breakfast skipping and overweight in both genders [6,13,37,40,41,49,50]. In addition, a significant dose-response relationship between breakfast skipping and overweight was observed in Indian adolescents [37].…”

“…Omitting breakfast can lead to lower postprandial energy expenditure and contribute to changes in Another aspect that may interfere in the association between breakfast consumption and metabolic disorders is the quality of food consumed at breakfast, as whole foods rich in fiber promote satiety. Moreover, the intake of foods that contain high concentrations of refined carbohydrates and simple sugars at breakfast, or even breakfast skipping, can result in increased consumption of foods with high energy density at subsequent meals, contributing to weight gain [3,49,51]. This study was limited by a crosssectional design that does not allow inference of causality between observed associations.…”

Socio-economic inequalities in diet and body weight: evidence, causes and intervention options

“…Dijkstra et al (17) found that taste preference mediated the association between income and adherence to the Dutch dietary guidelines for fruit, while the perception that fish is expensive mediated the association between income and meeting guidelines for fish consumption. Ahmadi et al (14) observed that socio-economic differences in daily vegetable intake among Canadian schoolaged children were mediated by parental norms; and Manios et al (15) found that the relationship between childhood SEP and overweight/obesity was mediated by daily breakfast consumption.…”