Breakfast Habits and their Association with Socio-demographic Factors among European Adolescents: The HELENA study.

Objective: To describe breakfast habits on food group level in European adolescents and to investigate the associations between these habits and socio-demographic factors. Design: Cross-sectional study Setting: Secondary schools from nine European cities participating in the HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle inEuropeby Nutrition in Adolescence) Study. Breakfast habits were assessed twice using a computer-based 24-h dietary recall. Adolescents who consumed breakfast on at least one recall day were classified as ‘breakfast consumers’ and adolescents who did not have anything for breakfast on either of the two recall days were considered ‘breakfast skippers’. A ‘breakfast quality-index’ to describe breakfast quality was created based on the consumption or non-consumption of: cereals/cereal products, dairy products and fruits/vegetables. The socio-demographic factors studied were sex, age, region of Europe, maternal and paternal education, family structure and family affluence. Subjects: 2672 adolescents (12-17 years, 53 % girls). Results: The majority of the adolescents reported a breakfast that scored poorly on the breakfast quality index. Older adolescents, adolescents from the southern part of Europe and adolescents from families with low socio-economic status were more likely to consume a low-quality breakfast. Conclusion: This study highlights the need to promote the consumption of a high-quality breakfast among adolescents, particularly in older adolescents, adolescents from southern Europe and to adolescents from families with low socio-economic status, in order to improve public health.