Breakfast is an important meal that provides essential nutrients and energy. However, few comprehensive studies have reported breakfast habits and related behaviors among Saudi children. This study investigated breakfast consumption patterns and the associations of socio-demographic variables with daily breakfast intake among Saudi children. A multistage stratified cluster random sampling technique was used to select 1051 elementary school boys and girls in Riyadh. Body weight and height were measured and body mass index (BMI) was computed. The breakfast eating habits and behaviors were assessed using a specifically designed self-reported questionnaire that was completed by the children’s parents. More than 79% of children skipped daily breakfast, with no significant sex difference. Children in private schools consumed breakfast more frequently than those attending public schools. Multivariate analyses showed that boys in private schools had a significantly higher intake of breakfast than that in boys in public schools, yet, boys in public schools had significantly higher BMI than boys in private schools. Using logistic regression while adjusting for confounders showed insignificant effect for parent education. Among breakfast eaters, spread cheese sandwiches were consumed most frequently, followed by fried egg sandwiches and breakfast cereals. Full-fat milk, tea with milk, water, and fruit juice were the most consumed drinks. Girls consumed significantly more fresh fruits during breakfast than did boys. Mothers prepared breakfast at home most of the time (84.5%). Parents appeared mostly satisfied with the breakfast consumed by their child at home and placed high importance on breakfast compared to lunch or dinner. The proportion of school children who ate daily breakfast at home was low, which may have implications for children’s school performance. Effort is needed to promote daily breakfast consumption among Saudi school children and to introduce appropriate interventions aimed at promoting daily breakfast consumption among Saudi children.

中文翻译：

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与性别和社会人口统计学因素相关的沙特小学生的早餐消费。

早餐是提供重要营养和能量的重要一餐。但是，很少有综合研究报道沙特儿童的早餐习惯和相关行为。这项研究调查了沙特儿童的早餐消费模式以及社会人口统计学变量与每日早餐摄入量的关系。采用多阶段分层整群随机抽样技术，选择了利雅得的1051名小学男孩和女孩。测量体重和身高，并计算体重指数（BMI）。早餐的饮食习惯和行为是使用专门设计的自我报告的问卷进行评估的，该问卷由孩子的父母填写。超过79％的儿童不吃每日早餐，没有明显的性别差异。私立学校的孩子比上公立学校的孩子吃早餐的频率更高。多变量分析表明，私立学校男生的早餐摄入量比公立学校男生的早餐摄入量高得多，但公立学校男生的BMI明显高于私立学校男生。在调整混杂因素时使用逻辑回归对父母教育没有显著作用。在吃早餐的人中，涂抹干酪三明治的食用频率最高，其次是煎蛋三明治和谷物早餐。全脂牛奶，加牛奶的茶，水和果汁是最消耗的饮料。女孩吃早餐时吃的新鲜水果明显多于男孩。母亲大部分时间在家中准备早餐（84.5％）。父母似乎对孩子在家中所吃的早餐很满意，与午餐或晚餐相比，早餐更加重要。在家里每天吃早餐的小学生比例很低，这可能对孩子的学业表现有影响。需要努力促进沙特小学生的日常早餐消费，并采取适当的干预措施，以促进沙特小学生的日常早餐消费。