Skipping breakfast and its association with nutritional status and academic performance in schoolchildren

Abstract

Introduction: Nutrition is essential for physical and cognitive development, especially during school years. Skipping breakfast is common and could impact nutritional status and academic performance. Objective: To determine the association between skipping breakfast and nutritional status and academic performance in schoolchildren attending a public school in Lima, Peru. Methodology: A cross-sectional study with a quantitative and correlational approach. The sample consisted of 156 schoolchildren selected through simple random probability sampling. Nutritional status was assessed using the body mass index (BMI) for age and height according to WHO criteria. Academic performance was classified into two categories: expected achievement and in progress. Skipping breakfast was measured using a structured survey. The chi-square test was used to evaluate associations between variables (significance level p < 0.05). Results: 40.4% of the schoolchildren were obese, and 59.6% reported skipping breakfast. Regarding academic performance, 67.9% were in progress and 32.1% achieved the expected goal. Female students skipped breakfast less frequently, had better nutritional status, and a higher grade point average (12.68 ± 2.20 vs. 12.11 ± 2.28 for males). A significant association was found between breakfast skipping and nutritional status (p = 0.049), but not with academic performance (p = 0.544). Conclusions: Breakfast skipping is associated with nutritional status; however, no association was found between breakfast skipping and academic performance in male students.