Study – many California public school kids skipping breakfast

SAN FRANCISCO — Multiple studies provide evidence that good breakfast habits in children and youth are associated with improved cognitive functioning, mood and school attendance.

Yet a survey shows that only 62 percent of California public school students in seventh, ninth and 11th grades, and in non-traditional schools, reported they had eaten breakfast in the past day.

More boys than girls said that they had breakfast, and Asian and white students reported the highest percentages (70 percent) and Latino students the lowest (58 percent). These 2011-13 data, the latest available, were just published on kidsdata.org. See breakfast data for students per county>>.
Data also are available on child and youth consumption of sugary drinks, eating fast food and numbers of servings of fruits and vegetables.
As the public focus on healthful eating increases, many school districts are trying to improve the quality of the food they offer students.

Data from a just-released California School Climate Survey indicate whether teachers, administrators, and other staff say that their school provides healthy food choices. For California schools overall, 59 percent of those surveyed either agreed or strongly agreed (42.5 percent and 16.5 percent, respectively).
See data for healthy food in schools per county>>

See Related Data

• Students Who Ate Breakfast in Past Day (Student Reported), by Grade Level
  • by Gender and Grade Level
  • by Connectedness to School
  • by Race/Ethnicity
• Healthy Food Choices Provided at School (Staff Reported)
• Children Drinking One or More Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Per Dayhttps://cl.exct.net/?qs=fb20229f8685215b1f92734328d9d8f2476e5871e0b5134c5944dc1378208afb
  • by Age (California Only)
  • by Age and Race/Ethnicity (California Only)
• Children Who Ate Fast Food Two or More Times in the Past Week, by Age Group
• Children Who Eat Five or More Servings of Fruits/Vegetables Daily, by Age Group
• CalFresh (Food Stamp) Participationhttps://cl.exct.net/?qs=fb20229f8685215b107a4b9dfd11aed0299880c272dc7da10591b0cc50b14d78
  • by Race/Ethnicity
• Children Living in Food Insecure Households
  • by Legislative District
• Student Eligibility to Receive Free or Reduced Price School Meals