Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 28, 2026
Breakfast Habits among Schoolchildren in the City of Uruguaiana, Brazil
Published on: July 29, 2020
Association between breakfast frequency and physical activity and sedentary time: a cross-sectional study in children
Julia K Zakrzewski-Fruer1, Fiona B Gillison2, Peter T Katzmarzyk3
1Institute for Sport and Physical Activity Research, University of Bedfordshire, Bedford, UK.
Insights
Frequent breakfast consumption in children is linked to more morning physical activity and less sedentary time. However, these associations may not be clinically significant.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric health
- Lifestyle behaviors
- Global child development
Background:
- Inconsistent research exists on the relationship between breakfast habits, physical activity (PA), and sedentary time in children.
- This study addresses these inconsistencies by examining breakfast frequency and objectively measured PA and sedentary time in a diverse international sample.
- Investigated potential interactions of these associations across different global study sites.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the associations between breakfast frequency and objectively measured physical activity (PA) and sedentary time in children.
- To explore potential interactions of these associations across 12 different countries.
- To provide insights into childhood obesity, lifestyle, and the environment.
Main Methods:
- A multinational, cross-sectional study involving 6228 children aged 9-11 years.
- Utilized multilevel statistical models to analyze self-reported breakfast frequency (rare, occasional, frequent) against accelerometry-derived PA and sedentary time.
- Measured morning and afternoon activity levels, controlling for covariates like age, sex, parental education, and BMI z-score.
Main Results:
- Frequent breakfast consumption was associated with a higher proportion of time in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and light PA in the morning.
- Morning sedentary time was lower with frequent breakfast consumption compared to rare consumption.
- No significant associations were found for afternoon or total daily PA and sedentary time, nor for occasional breakfast consumption.
Conclusions:
- Frequent breakfast consumption in children is associated with increased morning physical activity and decreased morning sedentary time.
- The observed associations, while statistically significant, demonstrated a small magnitude, potentially lacking clinical relevance.
- Highlights the importance of considering morning routines in children's overall physical activity and sedentary behavior patterns.
Background:
Existing research has documented inconsistent findings for the associations among breakfast frequency, physical activity (PA), and sedentary time in children. The primary aim of this study was to examine the associations among breakfast frequency and objectively-measured PA and sedentary time in a sample of children from 12 countries representing a wide range of human development, economic development and inequality. The secondary aim was to examine interactions of these associations between study sites.
Methods:
This multinational, cross-sectional study included 6228 children aged 9-11 years from the 12 International Study of Childhood Obesity, Lifestyle and the Environment sites. Multilevel statistical models were used to examine associations between self-reported habitual breakfast frequency defined using three categories (breakfast consumed 0 to 2 days/week [rare], 3 to 5 days/week [occasional] or 6 to 7 days/week [frequent]) or two categories (breakfast consumed less than daily or daily) and accelerometry-derived PA and sedentary time during the morning (wake time to 1200 h) and afternoon (1200 h to bed time) with study site included as an interaction term. Model covariates included age, sex, highest parental education, body mass index z-score, and accelerometer waking wear time.
Results:
Participants averaged 60 (s.d. 25) min/day in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), 315 (s.d. 53) min/day in light PA and 513 (s.d. 69) min/day sedentary. Controlling for covariates, breakfast frequency was not significantly associated with total daily or afternoon PA and sedentary time. For the morning, frequent breakfast consumption was associated with a higher proportion of time in MVPA (0.3%), higher proportion of time in light PA (1.0%) and lower min/day and proportion of time sedentary (3.4 min/day and 1.3%) than rare breakfast consumption (all p ≤ 0.05). No significant associations were found when comparing occasional with rare or frequent breakfast consumption, or daily with less than daily breakfast consumption. Very few significant interactions with study site were found.
Conclusions:
In this multinational sample of children, frequent breakfast consumption was associated with higher MVPA and light PA time and lower sedentary time in the morning when compared with rare breakfast consumption, although the small magnitude of the associations may lack clinical relevance.
Trial Registration:
The International Study of Childhood Obesity, Lifestyle and the Environment (ISCOLE) is registered at (Identifier NCT01722500 ).
Related Concept Videos
01:50Cross-Sectional Research
01:24Finding Volume Using Cross-Sectional Area
01:26Profile Leveling and Cross Sections
01:16Spinal Cord: Cross-sectional Anatomy
Gray Matter and its Components
Central to the gray matter is...
01:11Genome-wide Association Studies-GWAS
GWAS does not require the identification of the target gene involved in...
01:27Time and frequency -Domain Interpretation of PI Control
Acting as a low-pass filter, the PI controller slows the system's response and extends settling times. This requires...