Objective: To evaluate breakfast behaviors among children and adolescents in 12 provinces of China.
Methods: A multistage, stratified, sampling design was used and the participants who were 4-17 years old and had completed personal information data during the 2011 China Health and Nutrition Survey( CHNS) were included. Breakfast prevalence, eating location, food preparation location, preparationmethod, food variety, and dietary structure were analyzed.
Results: Nearly all children and adolescents reported having breakfast( 96. 9%). The proportions of children and adolescents who had home-made breakfast and ate breakfast at home were 73. 0% and82. 8%, respectively. Boiling was the most frequently used cooking method( 81. 7%)and grain was the most popular food choice( 84. 1%). Three breakfast patterns were identified: cereal, vegetables and fruits( mostly plant origin), dairy, meat and eggs( mostly animal origin) and convenient foods( mostly snack foods). The proportions of children and adolescents who ate breakfast and chose milk, bean, meat and egg as breakfast were higher in high-level urbanization community( 22. 7% 、40. 7% and 47. 4%)and high-income family( 19. 1% 、38. 9% and 42. 0%). However, the proportions of children and adolescents who ate breakfast at home and chose cereal, vegetable, and fruits as breakfast were higher in low-level urbanization community( 86. 4% 、94. 5% and32. 0%) and low-income family( 91. 2% 、97. 8% and 41. 5%).
Conclusion: Unhealthy breakfast habits exist among 4-17 years old in 12 provinces of China. The level of community urbanization and household income have influence on breakfast behaviors. Targeted nutritional interventions are needed to improve the nutritional quality of breakfast for better health of Chinese children and adolescents.
Keywords: adolescents; breakfast behaviors; children; community urbanization level; household income.