A large study shows that children who skip breakfast have lower life satisfaction than those who eat breakfast regularly.
- Children and adolescents who eat breakfast every day have higher life satisfaction scores than those who skip the meal, a study found.
- In the study, the happiest young people lived in Portugal and those least satisfied with their lives lived in Romania.
- The results showed some inconsistencies between countries, which may be influenced by different cultures and lifestyles and by socio-economic factors.
Is breakfast consumption frequency associated with life satisfaction in children and adolescents? This is the question that an international team of researchers asked themselves. To answer it, they conducted a study in which they reviewed data from a 2017-2018 cohort on the health behavior of children and adolescents. A total of 155,451 school-age young people, aged 10 to 17, 51.3% of whom were girls, from 42 different countries were included in the work.
Portuguese children who eat breakfast every day are happier
To assess breakfast consumption, a specific question was asked to the young volunteers: “How often do you usually eat breakfast (more than a glass of milk or fruit juice)?”. In order to measure life satisfaction, a subjective rating scale, ranging visually from 0 to 10, was used. “On this scale, the highest point (10) denotes the best conceivable quality of life, while the lowest point (0) represents the worst conceivable quality of life,” the authors specified.
According to the results, published in the journal Nutrition Journalthe highest life satisfaction score was identified among participants who ate breakfast daily, while the lowest life satisfaction score was observed among children who never ate breakfast. Among the 42 countries studied, young people who ate breakfast every morning in Portugal had the highest levels of life satisfaction. In contrast, the lowest life satisfaction scores were found among Romanian children and adolescents who always skipped this meal, indicating that potential socioeconomic factors also influence the results. “Previous research has shown lower moods in adolescents who skipped breakfast and also higher rates of anxiety, stress and depression,” said Lee Smithlead author of the study.
Breakfast can provide “structure and a positive tone for the rest of the day”
“The mix of vitamins and minerals we get from our daily breakfast, and not consuming them regularly, can lead to a decline in life satisfaction over time. Eating an adequate breakfast provides the energy and nutrients needed for optimal cognitive functioning and improves concentration, memory, and learning ability. A regular routine that includes breakfast can also provide structure and a positive tone for the rest of the day,” added the researchers.
Thus, they believe that, given the potential health benefits associated with breakfast during this critical age phase, there is a need for additional global efforts to promote increased breakfast consumption among children and adolescents.
