Abstract

FERNANDEZ MORALES, I.; AGUILAR VILAS, M.ª V.; MATEOS VEGA, C. J.  and  MARTINEZ PARA, M.ª C.. Relation between the breakfast quality and the academic performance in adolescents of Guadalajara (Castilla-La Mancha). Nutr. Hosp. [online]. 2008, vol.23, n.4, pp.383-387. ISSN 1699-5198.

Objective: To study the relationship between the breakfast quality and skipping it on academic performance of a population of adolescents. Method: A nutritional study on the breakfast quality has been performed in a population of adolescents from Guadalajara (467 young people; age: 12-17 years) by means of questionnaires of seven-day consumption frequency. Besides, we have collected socio-demographic data and academic scores of these people. Results: Most of the students interviewed take a deficient breakfast since only 4.88% have a complete breakfast. The girls aged 15-17 years are those taking the poorest quality breakfast since 8.33% of them skip this meal. 68.29% take breakfasts which quality may be improved. The breakfast quality is directly related with the mean score obtained during the course 2003-04. This relationship is not so clear-cut when the different mandatory subjects in the different academic orientations are considered since it depends on the type of subject (comprehension, memory, concentration, physical activity...). Conclusions: The population studied consumes a poor breakfast, which may affect the academic outcomes, especially those for certain subjects.

Keywords : Breakfast; Quality; Academic performance; Adolescents.

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