Abstract

The aims of this study were to assess the quality of breakfast intake and to examine the relation of breakfast intake to the quality of daily diet in Korean school-aged children. The one day 24-hour recall data from the 2001 National Health and Nutrition Survey were analyzed. The sample of this study consisted of 1,600 children aged 7 to 18 years attending elementary, middle, or high schools. By calorie level of breakfast intake, the children were grouped into Breakfast Skippers (0 kcal; n = 268, 17%), Low Calorie Breakfast Eaters (0 kcal < and < 10% of Estimated Energy Requirement (EER); n = 190, 12%), Moderate Calorie Breakfast Eaters (10% < or = and < 25% of EER; n = 861, 54%), or Sufficient Calorie Breakfast Eaters (> or = 25% of EER; n = 281, 17%). General characteristics including weight status and nutritional quality of breakfast and daily diet were compared among the four groups. The average daily calorie intake of Breakfast Skippers, Low, Moderate, and Sufficient Breakfast Eaters were 1,771 kcal, 1,719 kcal, 1,902 kcal, and 2,349 kcal, respectively; they were 86.3%, 85.9%, 98.0%, and 124.9% of EER, respectively. The percentages of students consuming daily diet with protein, vitamin A, B1, B2, niacin, vitamin C, calcium, phosphorus, or iron less than Estimated Average Requirement decreased in the breakfast groups with the higher calorie level of breakfast intake. The Dietary Variety Score of daily diet significantly increased by increasing the calorie level of breakfast intake. The results indicated the quality of daily diet was positively related to the level of calorie intake from breakfast.

• Keywords: breakfast; school-aged children; diet quality; 2001 National Health and Nutrition Survey