Emotional State According to Breakfast Consumption in 62276 South Korean Adolescents

Adolescents frequently skip breakfast for a variety of reasons. We investigated associations between lifestyle, emotional state, and breakfast consumption in adolescents.

Data from 62276 adolescents were derived from the 13th Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (KYRBS), conducting from June 1, 2017 to June 30. The adolescents were drawn by stratified multistage clustered samples from 400 middle schools and 400 high schools. Breakfast skipper was defined as those who ate breakfast less than 2 days per week.

Among 62276 participants, 19658 (31.5%) were breakfast skippers. Compared to those who were steady eaters, those who skipped breakfast were younger and shorter, had a poorer academic performance, poorer parent education status, and lower family economic status. Compared to steady eaters, those who skipped breakfast regularly also tended to be more overweight and obese, participate in exercise less frequently, and report increased stress, depressive mood, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts. Skipping breakfast was also associated with increased levels of smoking and alcohol consumption compared to steady eaters.

Skipping breakfast is associated with an adverse effect on adolescent health and well-being, especially in regard to suicide attempts. Public and parental education on the benefits of eating breakfast in adolescents is recommended.