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Breakfast eating patterns and drivers of a healthy breakfast composition.
Journal article

Breakfast eating patterns and drivers of a healthy breakfast composition.

  • Delley M Bern University of Applied Sciences, School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences (HAFL), Food Science and Management, Länggasse 85, 3052, Zollikofen, Switzerland. Electronic address: mathilde.delley@bfh.ch.
  • Brunner TA Bern University of Applied Sciences, School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences (HAFL), Food Science and Management, Länggasse 85, 3052, Zollikofen, Switzerland. Electronic address: thomas.brunner@bfh.ch.
  • 2019-02-25
Published in:
  • Appetite. - 2019
Breakfast
Composition
Drivers
Eating habits
Eating patterns
Healthiness
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Breakfast
Dairy Products
Diet Surveys
Diet, Healthy
Female
Fruit
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Switzerland
Whole Grains
Young Adult
English Breakfast has long been described as the most important meal of the day. While breakfast habits and their consequences on children's health and performance are well documented, studies on the adult population are lacking. The present study will fill this gap, providing a comprehensive picture of the Swiss breakfast habits and insights into the determinants of a healthy breakfast composition. Data were collected through a postal survey sent out to a randomly selected sample of 1917 German-speaking Swiss residents, yielding a final sample size of N = 460. Breakfast habits were disclosed, and individual breakfast healthiness scores were assessed by two nutrition specialists. A multiple regression analysis was then performed to investigate the influence of several motivational, socio-demographic, health- and knowledge-related determinants on breakfast healthiness. The sample showed recommendable habits in terms of consumption frequency and quite traditional eating patterns, illustrated by the prevalence of continental breakfasts and equally marked by the frequent consumption of dairy products. Overall, the Swiss breakfast composition is moderately healthy, lacking fruits and whole grain products. Paying attention to healthy food choices in general, higher education level, being a woman and reporting to be fit are factors linked to a healthier breakfast composition; while preferences for low-fat, familiar or convenient foods are correlated to less healthy patterns. Given the parallel between the determinants of a healthy breakfast composition and those of a healthy diet and taking some limiting factors, such as consumers preference for convenience and strong habits, into account, we support the current nutritional advice focusing on balancing the diet over the day or the week rather than on recommendations dedicated to specific meals.
Language
  • English
Open access status
closed
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://sonar.ch/global/documents/189797
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