title: Associations between deprivation, attitudes towards eating breakfast and breakfast eating behaviours in 9-11-year-olds.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine school-level relationships between deprivation and breakfast eating behaviours (breakfast skipping and the healthfulness of foods consumed) in 9-11-year-old schoolchildren and to examine whether attitudes towards eating breakfast mediated these relationships.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and eleven primary schools in Wales.
  
  
  METHODS
  Year 5 and 6 pupils within the 111 primary schools. Measures were completed by 4314 children. Analysis was conducted at the group (school) level, with each school representing one group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Deprivation was positively associated with breakfast skipping and consumption of 'unhealthy' items (i.e. sweet snacks, crisps) for breakfast. A significant negative association was found between deprivation and consumption of 'healthy' items (i.e. fruit, bread, cereal, milk). Deprivation was significantly inversely associated with attitudes towards eating breakfast. The relationships between deprivation and (1) breakfast skipping and (2) consumption of 'healthy' items for breakfast were mediated by attitudes towards eating breakfast. The hypothesis that attitudes mediated the relationship between deprivation and consumption of 'unhealthy' breakfast items was unsupported.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Deprivation is associated with adverse breakfast eating behaviours amongst children aged 9-11 years, in terms of breakfast skipping and the quality of breakfasts consumed. Socio-economic differences in attitudes towards eating breakfast are apparent amongst this age group, and appear to relate to social gradients in breakfast eating behaviours. Research is needed to examine the causal nature of these trends and to elucidate factors underlying the development of socio-economic differences in eating-related cognitions.
authors: Cardiff Institute of Society, Health and Ethics, Cardiff University, 53 Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK. MooreG@cf.ac.uk
authors: Graham F
authors: GF
authors: Moore
authors: Katy
authors: K
authors: Tapper
authors: Simon
authors: S
authors: Murphy
authors: Rebecca
authors: R
authors: Lynch
authors: Larry
authors: L
authors: Raisanen
authors: Claire
authors: C
authors: Pimm
authors: Laurence
authors: L
authors: Moore
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000502:physiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005508:Food Deprivation; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires