Every third child does not have breakfast

WHO study: One in three children does not have breakfast

11/16/2011

According to a new study by the World Health Organization (WHO), every third child leaves home without having breakfast. Scientists at the University of Bielefeld found that in the age group of 15-year-olds even every second child is affected. Half of the children and adolescents surveyed stated that they felt too fat. Researchers now conclude that they would miss the first meal of the day due to weight issues. From a health point of view an alarming result!

The study
In the 2009/2010 school year, 20,000 children and adolescents from around 300 schools in Germany were surveyed on health, quality of life and well-being, among others. Among the factors examined were the school climate and the financial situation in the home. The researchers found that children from financially better off families eat more often than children from low-income families. The study involved researchers from the Universities of Frankfurt, Hamburg and Dresden. The line was taken over by scientists from Bielefeld. On behalf of WHO, this study is conducted every four years in 40 countries to use the results, inter alia, to promote good health.

Start the day with a healthy breakfast
Breakfast is one of the three main meals of the day. It provides energy, helps to increase the cognitive abilities of the child and should positively influence the memory performance. It is important to eat healthy foods, such as Muesli, fruit, wholegrain bread etc. Artificially sweetened foods such as chocolate spreads should be avoided if possible, as they promote dental caries and only act as an energy source in the body for a short time.

Why are children and teenagers too fat??
The fact that more and more children and adolescents are overweight is well known and is the cause of wrong nutrition and lack of exercise. A relatively new trend, however, is that more and more children and adolescents view themselves as too fat, although this is not the case from a medical point of view. While this used to be primarily a phenomenon among teenage girls and young women, it is already happening among girls and boys of elementary age today. Reasons for this could be found in our increasingly superficial society. The media occupy an important place here. Anyone who succeeds is young, beautiful and slim. In numerous casting shows this impression is reinforced. It gives the impression that only beautiful, slim people are successful, popular and happy. Only in exceptional cases are counterexamples shown.

However, parents should not panic if their children complain about their weight. Especially during puberty it is part of the normal stages of development that children themselves and their environment are in question. A good conversation can often work wonders. (Ag)

Read about:
Many children go to school without breakfast
Structured daily routine protects against overweight
More and more children have back pain
More and more teens are depressed
Tricks for losing weight more successful than dieting

Picture: Gerd Altmann