Why You Should
Remember to Have Breakfast
Jean-Claude Gonon, Secretary-General of the European Association of Teachers (AEDE), has worked in schools with children for many years, and knows a thing or two about healthy behaviours among Europe’s youth. “As a former teacher, I can spot straight away who’s awake and alert and who’s tired and distracted. And in my experience, one of the biggest factors that determines success in the classroom is so simple and so often overlooked: having breakfast every morning.”
He’s not alone in that view. Indeed, the 2008 Health Behaviour in School Children report, carried out by the University of Edinburgh on behalf of the World Health Organization (WHO), stated that “A regular breakfast is part of a healthy diet, which in turn has traditionally been considered an important factor in a healthy lifestyle. Breakfast contributes to the quality and quantity of a person’s daily dietary intake, and breakfast-skipping has been linked to inadequate dietary nutrition in several studies. Breakfast-skipping also influences cognition and learning and consequently may impact on adolescents’ capacity to take advantage of learning opportunities provided by schools and families.”
Yet currently, too few children and adolescents around Europe regularly start their day with breakfast. While 91% of 11-year-old boys and 90% of 11-year-old girls in the Netherlands have a regular morning meal, only 52% of their Greek counterparts and 51% of Slovene 11-year-olds do.
That figure drops with age. By 15, only 33% of girls in Greece and 44% of boys have breakfast in the morning – and that figure is not much better in Slovenia (37% and 42%), Romania or Austria (both on 35% and 47% for girls and boys respectively). Even in the Netherlands and Portugal, the leaders in the breakfast charts, roughly a quarter of 15-year-olds skip breakfast regularly.
But breakfast isn’t just important for children and young people – it makes a difference in everyone’s lives. As the World Health Organisation pointed out in a 2005 study, “Missing breakfast has been associated with several other health-compromising behaviours, such as higher levels of smoking, alcohol and drug use and more sedentary lifestyles. Breakfast skipping has also been linked with the increased consumption of snacks low in fibre and high in fat later in the day and an increased risk of obesity.”
Vincenzo Costigliola, President of the European Medical Association, agrees with this analysis. “Not only does breakfast make a positive health difference – it’s also simply a good habit to get into. Making a morning meal part of your daily routine is an important step in taking control of your diet and your life.”
(1) International Report: Inequalities in Young People's Health
Currie C, Nic Gabhainn S, Godeau E, Roberts C, Smith R, Currie D, Pickett W, Richter M, Morgan A & Barnekow V (eds.) (2008) Inequalities in young people's health: HBSC international report from the 2005/06 Survey. Health Policy for Children and Adolescents, No. 5, WHO Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark.
(2)
International Report: Inequalities in Young People's Health
Currie C, Nic Gabhainn S, Godeau E, Roberts C, Smith R, Currie D, Pickett W, Richter M, Morgan A & Barnekow V (eds.) (2008) Inequalities in young people's health: HBSC international report from the 2005/06 Survey. Health Policy for Children and Adolescents, No. 5, WHO Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark.
From 5-a-Day to Breakfast Everyday
At the United Nations, the World Health Organisation and Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have recognised the importance of breakfast in healthy behaviours and reducing health inequalities across Europe. Yet many European governments do not currently promote breakfast eating as part of their nutrition information campaigns.
All EU Member States encourage regular consumption of fruit and vegetables. From France’s Manger Bouger campaign to Germany’s 5 am Tag, governments across the EU have succeeded in making “five portions of fruit or vegetables per day” a part of all healthy eating messaging. Yet in comparison, the message to eat breakfast is only a minor part of some European countries’ healthy eating programmes, while many do not mention a healthy morning meal at all.
The Breakfast is Best campaign believes that that has to change. Together, European doctors, teachers and nutritionists are coming together to call for concrete steps that will ensure all Europeans understand the importance of breakfast in a healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle.
The first step would be a benchmarking study on breakfast and breakfast promotion, conducted by a major public health body or prominent university. Looking at European, national and local authorities, this study would examine where breakfast is present and absent in health promotion campaigns, and which campaigns have been successful in increasing positive breakfast habits.
This study will allow decision-makers at all levels to better understand what works and what does not. One example of a positive campaign in action is the Hungarian “Startolj Reggelivel” (“Start with Breakfast!”) initiative, piloted by the National Institute for Food and Nutrition Science in Hungary. With a promotion campaign focused both on the benefits of breakfast consumption and ways to make breakfast healthy, varied and fun, it is an example of best practice in promoting breakfast.
At a time when healthy behaviour and lifestyle has never been so important – with non-communicable diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes at an all-time high – a small investment in working to encourage breakfast consumption could be one of the smartest decisions politicians and public health authorities could make.
