[Breakfast among students of compulsory secondary education].
OBJECTIVE
To study the breakfast model of a rural population of obligatory secondary education (ESO) and to analyze the energy and nutrients provided, in connection with established nutritional requirements.


METHODS
Randomized year-stratified distribution of a semi-quantitative questionnaire on the frequency of food intake for breakfast (on rising and mid-morning snack) to 400 ESO students: 188 males (47%) and 212 females (53%), aged between 13 and 16 years. The densities of nutrients have been calculated in proportion to established dietary recommendations (%RDA).


RESULTS
93.2% had breakfast on rising and 83.8% took a mid-morning snack on a daily basis. The most common foods were milk (89.3%) and sweet food (45.7%) for the first breakfast and a sandwich with cold meats an/or cured ham (74.6%) at mid-morning. The mean %RDA of the calorie intake was 30.6% in males and 36.1% in females (n.s.). The mean %RDA of the cholesterol intake was 54.3% in males and 48.6% in females (n.s.). The %RDA for calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin B12 were greater (p < 0.05) in early breakfasts, whereas the %RDA of iron intake, vitamin B1 and niacin were greater (p < 0.05) in the snack.


CONCLUSIONS
This breakfast model, while providing an appropriate provision of energy, differs from the prototype of a healthy diet through an excessive consumption of refined sugars (early breakfast) and meat and derivatives (snack) with a deficit in cereals and fruit. It would be necessary to encourage dietary advice in Primary Health Care programmes, as well as to develop food and nutrition programmes within compulsory education.
Durá Travé
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Departamento de Pediatría, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Navarra, España.
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000818:Animals; D002523:Edible Grain; D004531:Eggs; D002149:Energy Intake; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005504:Food Analysis; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat; D008892:Milk; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D011897:Random Allocation; D012424:Rural Population; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014815:Vitamins
D014815:Vitamins