A recent study found that young people who eat healthy breakfasts at home have higher psychosocial health. While earlier research has indicated the importance of a nutritious breakfast, this is the first study to investigate the reported effects of whether or not children eat breakfast, as well as where and what they consume. These findings offer useful insights and advice for parents and their children.

The findings of the research were published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition. “Our results suggest that it is not only important to eat breakfast, but it's also important where young people eat breakfast and what they eat,” said first author Dr Jose Francisco Lopez-Gil of the University of Castilla-La Mancha in Cuenca, Spain.

“Skipping breakfast or eating breakfast away from home is associated with increased likelihood of psychosocial behavioural problems in children and adolescents. Similarly, consumption of certain foods/drinks are associated with higher (eg, processed meat) or lower (eg, dairies, cereals) odds of psychosocial behavioural problems.”