TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2021//
TI  - Skipping breakfast and eating breakfast away from home were prospectively associated with emotional and behavioral problems in 115,217 Chinese adolescents
JO  - Journal of epidemiology
A1  - Gong, Wei-Jie
A1  - Fong, Daniel Yee-Tak
A1  - Wang, Man-Ping
A1  - Lam, Tai-Hing
A1  - Chung, Thomas Wai-Hung
A1  - Ho, Sai-Yin
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - Background: Breakfast is deemed the most important meal of the day. We examined the prospective associations of breakfast habits with emotional/behavioral problems in adolescents and potential effect modification.<br><br>METHODS: 115,217 Primary 6 students (US grade 6, age 11.9±0.59 years) who attended the Student Health Service of Department of Health in Hong Kong in 2004/05, 2006/07, 2008/09 were followed till Secondary 6 (US grade 12). Emotional/behavioral problems were biennially examined using Youth Self-Report since Secondary 2 (US grade 8). Lifestyles were biennially examined using standardized questionnaires since Primary 6. Prospective associations of breakfast habit with emotional/behavioral problems and potential effect modification were examined using generalized estimating equations.<br><br>RESULTS: Compared with eating breakfast at home, eating breakfast away from home was significantly associated with total emotional/behavioral problems and 7 syndromes, including withdrawal, somatic complaints, anxiety/depression, thought problems, attention problems, delinquent behaviors and aggressive behaviors (adjusted odds ratios [AORs] 1.22-2.04), while skipping breakfast showed stronger associations with the above problems and social problems (AORs 1.34-2.29). Stronger associations were observed in younger students for total and attention problems (P<0.03) and in those with lower weight status for delinquent behaviors (P=0.005).<br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Eating breakfast away from home and especially skipping breakfast were prospectively associated with more adolescent emotional/behavioral problems. The associations weakened with increasing age for total emotional/behavioral and attention problems, and weakened with higher weight status for delinquent behaviors, highlighting the vulnerability of younger and underweight children. If the associations are causal, increasing home breakfast may reduce adolescent emotional/behavioral problems and benefit psychosocial health.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0917-5040
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.2188/jea.JE20210081
ID  - ref1
ER  -