ArticlePublic health nutrition2016
Association between breakfast consumption and educational outcomes in 9-11-year-old children.
Article in Public health nutrition, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 15 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Nutrition items regulated by school nutrition policies in the USA and academic performance: a review of the non-policy literature.Public health nutrition · 2026Pooled it
- The Impact of School Meal Programs on Educational Outcomes in African Schoolchildren: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Randomized Controlled Trial Outcomes for HomeStyles-2, an Online Obesity Prevention Program for Families with Children in Middle Childhood.Nutrients · 2026Trial
- 'Will my fingerprint be enough?': secondary school students struggle to purchase a healthy, tasty and sustainable meal on the UK free school meal allowance.Public health nutrition · 2025Article
- Article
- Breakfast Consumption Habits at Age 6 and Cognitive Ability at Age 12: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.Nutrients · 2021Article
- Observational
- Comments on "Caffeine intake and cognitive functions in children by Zhang, Lee and Qiu".Psychopharmacology · 2021Article
- A Profile of the SAIL Databank on the UK Secure Research Platform.International journal of population data science · 2019Article
- The "Motor of the Day": Parent and School-Age Children's Cognitions, Barriers, and Supports for Breakfast.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Article
- Associations Between Habitual School-Day Breakfast Consumption Frequency and Academic Performance in British Adolescents.Frontiers in public health · 2019Article
- Effects of eating breakfast on children and adolescents: A systematic review of potentially relevant outcomes in economic evaluations.Food & nutrition research · 2019Review
- Health Improvement and Educational Attainment in Secondary Schools: Complementary or Competing Priorities? Exploratory Analyses From the School Health Research Network in Wales.Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education · 2018Article
- 'Breakfast: how important is it really?' A response.Public health nutrition · 2016Article
- Breakfast: how important is it really?Public health nutrition · 2016Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveBreakfast consumption has been consistently associated with health outcomes and cognitive functioning in schoolchildren. Evidence of direct links with educational outcomes remains equivocal. We aimed to examine the link between breakfast consumption in 9-11-year-old children and educational outcomes obtained 6-18 months later.
designData on individual-level free school meal entitlement and educational outcomes (Statutory Assessment Tests (SATs) at Key Stage 2) were obtained via the SAIL databank and linked to earlier data collected on breakfast consumption. Multilevel modelling assessed associations between breakfast consumption and SATs.
settingTrial of the Primary School Free Breakfast Initiative in Wales. SUBJECTS: Year 5 and 6 students, n 3093 (baseline) and n 3055 (follow-up).
resultsSignificant associations were found between all dietary behaviours and better performance in SATs, adjusted for gender and individual- and school-level free school meal entitlement (OR=1·95; CI 1·58, 2·40 for breakfast, OR=1·08; CI 1·04, 1·13 for healthy breakfast items). No association was observed between number of unhealthy breakfast items consumed and educational performance. Association of breakfast consumption with educational performance was stronger where the measure of breakfast consumption was more proximal to SATs tests (OR=2·02 measured 6 months prior to SATs, OR=1·61 measured 18 months prior).
conclusionsSignificant positive associations between self-reported breakfast consumption and educational outcomes were observed. Future research should aim to explore the mechanisms by which breakfast consumption and educational outcomes are linked, and understand how to promote breakfast consumption among schoolchildren. Communicating findings of educational benefits to schools may help to enhance buy-in to efforts to improve health behaviours of pupils.
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