Children who skip breakfast are most likely to be unhappy, study reveals

Children who regularly skip breakfast are more likely to be unhappy, a study suggests.

Researchers found the more often children aged 10 to 17 ate breakfast the more satisfied they were with their life.

They analysed data on almost 150,000 young people across 42 countries, including the UK.

The highest life satisfaction score was identified in participants who had breakfast every day and the lowest in children who never had breakfast.

Researchers believe there are several reasons for this, including how the vitamins and nutrients in breakfast can help pupils concentrate and learn in school.

Researchers believe there are several reasons for why children are happy, including how the vitamins and nutrients in breakfast can help pupils concentrate and learn in school

Among the countries studied, children who ate breakfast every day in Portugal had the highest levels of life satisfaction.

In contrast, the lowest life satisfaction scores were found in children from Romania who never ate breakfast.

Researchers from Anglia Ruskin University and Universidad de las Americas say their findings also indicate potential socio-economic factors.

Amongst children who ate breakfast every day, children in England had the fifth lowest mean life satisfaction scores, behind only Romania, Hungary, Germany and Austria.

Senior author Lee Smith, professor of public health at ARU, said: ‘Our study was wide-ranging and found a consistent association between frequency of breakfast and life satisfaction, and there are several potential reasons for this.

‘There have been previous studies that show low mood among adolescents who have not eaten breakfast and also higher instances of anxiety, stress and depression.

‘Moreover, consuming an adequate breakfast provides the necessary energy and nutrients for optimal cognitive functioning and enhances concentration, memory, and learning ability.

‘Another reason could be the mix of vitamins and minerals that we get from our daily breakfast, and not regularly getting those may result in lower life satisfaction over time.

‘A regular routine that includes breakfast can also bring structure and a positive tone to the rest of the day.

‘Results did show some inconsistencies between countries, which might be influenced by diverse cultures and lifestyles and socio-economic factors.

‘However despite this, our results show that in all the countries examined, reported life satisfaction is overall higher in those who eat breakfast daily than in those who never eat breakfast.’ The findings were published in BMC Nutrition Journal.