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BMC Public Health
Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2014

Open Access 01-12-2014 | Research article

An examination of the demographic predictors of adolescent breakfast consumption, content, and context

Authors: Barbara Mullan, Cara Wong, Emily Kothe, Kathleen O’Moore, Kristen Pickles, Kirby Sainsbury

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2014

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Abstract

Background

Breakfast consumption is important to health; however, adolescents often skip breakfast, and an increased understanding of the breakfast consumption patterns of adolescents is needed. The purpose of this study was to identify the predictors of breakfast eating, including the content and context, in an adolescent sample from Australia and England.

Methods

Four-hundred and eighty-one students completed an online questionnaire measuring breakfast skipping, and breakfast content (what was eaten) and context (who they ate with, involvement in preparation). Logistic regression was conducted to investigate the predictors of skipping breakfast, breakfast context, and consumption of the ten most commonly consumed foods. Chi-square analyses were used to examine differences in breakfast content according to context.

Results

Most students (88%) had consumed breakfast on the day of the survey; breakfast skipping was more common in England (18%) than in Australia (8%). Country, gender, socioeconomic status, and body mass index (BMI) were all predictors of breakfast content and context. Whether adolescents ate with others and/or were involved in breakfast preparation predicted the content of breakfast consumed.

Conclusions

This study provides a comprehensive examination of the factors underlying breakfast consumption (content and context) and has important implications for the development of evidence-based interventions to improve rates of breakfast consumption and the quality of food consumed amongst adolescents.
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Metadata
Title
An examination of the demographic predictors of adolescent breakfast consumption, content, and context
Authors
Barbara Mullan
Cara Wong
Emily Kothe
Kathleen O’Moore
Kristen Pickles
Kirby Sainsbury
Publication date
01-12-2014
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2014
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-14-264

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