Skipping Breakfast Tied to Psychosocial Behavioral Issues in Children

MONDAY, Aug. 29, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Eating breakfast at home is tied to lower odds of psychosocial behavioral problems in Spanish school-aged children, according to a study published online Aug. 23 in Frontiers in Nutrition.

José Francisco López-Gil, Ph.D., from the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha in Cuenca, Spain, and colleagues examined whether breakfast status, place, and habits are associated with psychosocial behavioral problems among 3,772 Spanish young people (aged 4 to 14 years).

The researchers found that skipping breakfast and eating breakfast out of the home were linked to greater odds of psychosocial behavioral problems (odds ratios, 3.29 and 2.06, respectively) versus eating breakfast at home. Not consuming coffee, milk, tea, chocolate, cocoa, yogurt, etc., for breakfast was related to greater odds of psychosocial behavioral problems (odds ratio, 1.76). Similar associations were seen for those who did not eat bread, toast, cereals, pastries, etc., for breakfast (odds ratio, 1.31). Not consuming eggs, cheese, ham, etc., was associated with lower odds of psychosocial behavioral problems (odds ratio, 0.56).

“This finding is clinically meaningful, as psychosocial behavioral problems are one of the most important worldwide worries in the young population,” the authors write. “It might be possible to underscore the significance of focusing not only on breakfast intake but also on habits related to the consumption of certain foods/beverages to try to reduce the deleterious effects of psychosocial behavioral problems in young populations.”

Abstract/Full Text