Breakfast consumption and its socio-demographic and lifestyle correlates in schoolchildren in 41 countries participating in the HBSC study

Objective: To investigate associations of daily breakfast consumption (DBC) with demographic and lifestyle factors in 41 countries. Methods: Design: Survey including nationally representative samples of 11-15 year olds (n = 204,534) (HBSC 2005-2006). Statistics: Multilevel logistic regression analyses Results: DBC varied from 33% (Greek girls)to 75% (Portuguese boys). Results: In most countries, lower DBC was noticed in girls, older adolescents, those with lower family affluence and those living in single-parent families. DBC was positively associated with healthy lifestyle behaviours and negatively with unhealthy lifestyle behaviours. Conclusion: Breakfast skipping deserves attention in preventive programs. It is common among adolescents, especially girls, older adolescents and those from disadvantaged families. Conclusion: The results indicate that DBC can serve as an indicator to identify children at risk for unhealthy lifestyle behaviours. © Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel 2009.