The effect of introducing a free breakfast club on eating habits among students at vocational schools

Camilla Berg Christensen, Bent Egberg Mikkelsen, Ulla Toft

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    Abstract

    Background: Unhealthy eating habits are a major problem among adolescents. The objective of the study was to assess the effect of a free breakfast club intervention on dietary habits among students at vocational schools. Methods: The study included students (n = 318) from four vocational schools in Denmark. Food frequency questionnaires were used to measure eating habits at baseline, first, and second follow-up, after 7 and 14 weeks respectively, in a clustered randomized controlled intervention of four months. The effect of the intervention was evaluated through self-reported frequencies of breakfast intake, intake of whole grain products for breakfast and intake of unhealthy snacking in the morning. The outcome measures were daily breakfast intake (yes/no), daily intake of whole grain for breakfast (yes/no), and unhealthy snacking on school day mornings (yes/no). Results: The proportion of students who had breakfast every school day increased significantly in the intervention schools from baseline to the first follow-up compared to the control group (OR: 3.77; P = 0.0149). The effect was attenuated at the second follow-up. The intake of whole grain products for breakfast increased significantly more among students in intervention schools compared to students in control schools both at first (OR: 4.13; P = 0.0079) and second follow-up (OR: 3.27; P = 0.0317). No significant change in unhealthy snacking was found. Conclusion: Provision of free breakfast at vocational schools can improve the dietary quality of breakfast and decrease breakfast skipping. However, the sustainability of the intervention is a critical issue that needs to be further studied and addressed. Trial registration: ISRCTN11265280. Registered 20 November 2018 (retrospectively registered).

    OriginalsprogEngelsk
    Artikelnummer369
    TidsskriftBMC Public Health
    Vol/bind19
    Udgave nummer1
    Antal sider8
    ISSN1471-2458
    DOI
    StatusUdgivet - 3 apr. 2019

    Bibliografisk note

    Funding Information:
    This work was supported by the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration/ Ministry of Environment and Food of Denmark, The Danish Cancer Society, The Danish Whole Grain Partnership, and Aalborg University. Läntmannen Unibake Denmark A/S, a partner of The Danish Whole Grain Campaign, sponsored the whole grain products. The vocational schools included in the study contributed with all other breakfast products. None of the funding bodies had influence on the content of the research or on the resulting manuscript.

    Publisher Copyright:
    © 2019 The Author(s).

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