How Important Is Breakfast To Your Child?
by Lisa Barger
Given how important breakfast is supposed to be, surprisingly few studies have been done on the impact of meals served in public schools. So researchers working on a study published in Nutrition Journal decided to look at the effect of breakfast on school performance, dietary habits and the general well being of school-aged children. (1)
After counseling two groups of 10th graders on nutrition, the researchers invited one group to eat a school-sponsored breakfast every morning for 4 months. Throughout the study, both groups filled out questionnaires about school, their eating habits and other issues. The students were also weighed before and after the study.
What researchers found isn't surprising. The students that stayed in the breakfast program generally showed better overall eating habits--including more frequent lunch intake--and better scores on their Body Mass Index. Surprisingly, the students didn't show increased academic performance but boys in the program did report a much higher level of school contentment.
What Can Breakfast Do For Your Child?
Though the students in this study didn't show improved cognitive function or better school performance, children in other studies have--especially children who were malnourished to begin with. (2) Does this mean that children who skip breakfast are at risk for behavioral or academic problems? No one is going quite that far but it seems to make sense that a child distracted by a rumbling tummy isn't going to perform at his best.
References:
1. Ask, A., Hernes, S., Aarek, I., Johannessen, G., Haugen, M. (2006) Changes in dietary pattern in 15 year old adolescents following a 4 month dietary intervention with school breakfast – a pilot study. Nutrition Journal. Retrieved February 14, 2007 from http://www.nutritionj.com/content/5/1/33
2. Pollitt E, Jacoby E, Cueto S. (1996) School breakfast and cognition among nutritionally at-risk children in the Peruvian Andes. Nutrition Review. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=
8700448&dopt=Abstract&holding=f1000,f1000m,isrctn
Lisa Barger is a traditional naturopath specializing in natural health education. Learn more about what she calls "Empowerment through Education" by visiting her web site, LisaBarger.com.
Neither Lisa Barger nor LisaBarger.com receives any income from any organization with a vested interest in our articles.
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