title: The effects of breakfast on behavior and academic performance in children and adolescents.
abstract: Breakfast consumption is associated with positive outcomes for diet quality, micronutrient intake, weight status and lifestyle factors. Breakfast has been suggested to positively affect learning in children in terms of behavior, cognitive, and school performance. However, these assertions are largely based on evidence which demonstrates acute effects of breakfast on cognitive performance. Less research which examines the effects of breakfast on the ecologically valid outcomes of academic performance or in-class behavior is available. The literature was searched for articles published between 1950-2013 indexed in Ovid MEDLINE, Pubmed, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE databases, and PsychINFO. Thirty-six articles examining the effects of breakfast on in-class behavior and academic performance in children and adolescents were included. The effects of breakfast in different populations were considered, including undernourished or well-nourished children and adolescents from differing socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds. The habitual and acute effects of breakfast and the effects of school breakfast programs (SBPs) were considered. The evidence indicated a mainly positive effect of breakfast on on-task behavior in the classroom. There was suggestive evidence that habitual breakfast (frequency and quality) and SBPs have a positive effect on children's academic performance with clearest effects on mathematic and arithmetic grades in undernourished children. Increased frequency of habitual breakfast was consistently positively associated with academic performance. Some evidence suggested that quality of habitual breakfast, in terms of providing a greater variety of food groups and adequate energy, was positively related to school performance. However, these associations can be attributed, in part, to confounders such as SES and to methodological weaknesses such as the subjective nature of the observations of behavior in class.
authors: Human Appetite Research Unit, Institute of Psychological Sciences, University of Leeds Leeds, UK.
authors: Katie
authors: K
authors: Adolphus
authors: Clare L
authors: CL
authors: Lawton
authors: Louise
authors: L
authors: Dye
keywords: academic performance; adolescents; behavior; breakfast; children; learning
references: Eur J Clin Nutr. 2011 Jan;65(1):32-8
references: 20978529
references: Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2007 Dec 05;4:64
references: 18053259
references: Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1998 Sep;152(9):899-907
references: 9743037
references: Br J Nutr. 2011 Jan;105(2):316-21
references: 20807464
references: Res Nurs Health. 2009 Aug;32(4):465-74
references: 19434651
references: J Adolesc Health. 2006 Sep;39(3):337-45
references: 16919794
references: Public Health Nutr. 2007 Apr;10(4):422-8
references: 17362539
references: Pediatrics. 1991 Nov;88(5):960-6
references: 1945637
references: Nutr Res Rev. 2009 Dec;22(2):220-43
references: 19930787
references: Soc Sci Med. 2001 Sep;53(5):579-91
references: 11478538
references: Food Nutr Res. 2012;56:
references: 22761600
references: Public Health Nutr. 2011 Feb;14(2):219-26
references: 20602868
references: Nutr Hosp. 2008 Jul-Aug;23(4):383-7
references: 18604325
references: Br J Nutr. 2012 Jun;107(12):1823-32
references: 22017815
references: Eur J Clin Nutr. 2012 Oct;66(10):1166-71
references: 22872029
references: Am J Clin Nutr. 1992 Jul;56(1):29-35
references: 1609757
references: Nutr Hosp. 2006 May-Jun;21(3):346-52
references: 16771116
references: Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2010 Feb;50(2):113-9
references: 20112153
references: J Sch Health. 2011 Feb;81(2):65-73
references: 21223273
references: Appetite. 2003 Dec;41(3):329-31
references: 14637332
references: Eur J Clin Nutr. 2003 Sep;57 Suppl 1:S49-53
references: 12947453
references: Public Health Nutr. 2013 May;16(5):864-72
references: 22030213
references: Health Educ Res. 2012 Dec;27(6):975-85
references: 22798563
references: Public Health Nutr. 2003 Dec;6(8):815-20
references: 14641953
references: Am J Clin Nutr. 1998 Oct;68(4):873-9
references: 9771865
references: Prev Med. 1998 Mar-Apr;27(2):184-8
references: 9578992
references: Am J Clin Nutr. 1998 Apr;67(4):790S-794S
references: 9537630
references: Am Psychol. 1998 Feb;53(2):185-204
references: 9491747
references: Physiol Behav. 2007 Feb 28;90(2-3):382-5
references: 17078979
references: Indian Pediatr. 2008 Oct;45(10):824-8
references: 18948652
references: Public Health Nutr. 2009 Feb;12(2):249-58
references: 19026092
references: J Psychosom Res. 2002 Jul;53(1):529-37
references: 12127168
references: Food Nutr Res. 2012;56:
references: 22347147
references: J Consult Clin Psychol. 1988 Aug;56(4):583-9
references: 3198817
references: J Adolesc Health. 2006 Oct;39(4):536-45
references: 16982389
references: Appetite. 2011 Jun;56(3):649-57
references: 21376767
references: Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010 Nov;64(11):1280-8
references: 20808337
references: Physiol Behav. 2011 Jul 6;103(5):431-9
references: 21439306
references: Public Health Nutr. 2011 Sep;14(9):1549-54
references: 21241534
references: Obes Facts. 2013;6(1):70-85
references: 23466487
references: J Epidemiol Community Health. 2013 Mar;67(3):257-64
references: 23043203
references: J Acad Nutr Diet. 2013 Apr;113(4):511-9
references: 23465566
references: Public Health Nutr. 2012 Oct;15(10):1879-89
references: 22348273
references: Br J Nutr. 2004 Oct;92 Suppl 2:S213-22
references: 15522159
references: Ann Nutr Metab. 2002;46 Suppl 1:24-30
references: 12428078
references: J Nucl Med. 1992 May;33(5):696-703
references: 1569478
references: Appetite. 2007 Jul;49(1):240-4
references: 17224202
references: J Clin Invest. 1957 Jul;36(7):1130-7
references: 13449166
references: Pediatrics. 2008 Aug;122(2):279-84
references: 18676544
references: Future Child. 1997 Summer-Fall;7(2):55-71
references: 9299837
references: J Res Med Sci. 2011 Apr;16(4):469-76
references: 22091261
references: Iran J Public Health. 2013;42(1):25-32
references: 23514747
references: Physiol Behav. 2007 Nov 23;92(4):717-24
references: 17617427
references: Appetite. 2012 Dec;59(3):646-9
references: 22902600
references: J Am Diet Assoc. 2010 Jun;110(6):869-78
references: 20497776
references: Am J Psychiatry. 1986 Jul;143(7):944-5
references: 3717454
references: S Afr Med J. 1997 Jan;87(1 Suppl):93-100
references: 9180808
references: Public Health Nutr. 2007 Jun;10(6):582-9
references: 17381902
references: J Nutr Educ Behav. 2002 Jan-Feb;34(1):47-52
references: 11917671
references: Nutr Rev. 1996 Apr;54(4 Pt 2):S22-6
references: 8700448
references: Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2003;12(2):186-92
references: 12810409
references: Nutr J. 2010 Jan 25;9:4
references: 20100340
references: Br J Nutr. 2011 Nov;106(10):1552-61
references: 21736777
references: Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010 Oct;64(10):1086-92
references: 20683459
references: J Consult Clin Psychol. 1986 Oct;54(5):714-8
references: 3771891
references: Am J Clin Nutr. 1997 Apr;65(4 Suppl):1138S-1141S
references: 9094910
references: Child Dev. 2012 Nov;83(6):2104-20
references: 22880815
references: Physiol Behav. 2012 Jun 25;106(4):548-55
references: 22504496
references: Am J Clin Nutr. 1996 May;63(5):782-6
references: 8615364
references: Child Care Health Dev. 2004 Sep;30(5):413-27
references: 15320919
references: J Nutr. 2001 Feb;131(2S-2):649S-666S; discussion 666S-668S
references: 11160596
references: Am J Dis Child. 1989 Oct;143(10):1234-9
references: 2801668