Background and Purpose: Breakfast is very important as the first meal of the day. This issue is of great importance to female students. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the breakfast consumption and its association with health, cognitive, and motor functions in girls aged 7–11 years living in Qazvin City, Iran.
Materials and Methods: A total of 320 girls (mean age: 8.04±0.88 years) were selected from primary schools in Qazvin during the academic year 2023-2024. The consumption and quality of breakfast, along with associated factors, were assessed using a standard, self-administered questionnaire adapted for parents/guardians. Participants’ height, weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and hip circumference were measured. Additionally, the Wechsler digit span test was utilized to evaluate cognitive function. Motor function was also evaluated in two areas: agility and upper body muscle strength. Data were analyzed using the Pearson correlation test and multiple regression analysis at a statistical significance level of P<0.05.
Results: About 20.9% of girls (n=67) usually do not consume breakfast before school. In this regard, perceived health benefits of breakfast (β=0.3, P=0.0001) and liking breakfast (β=0.12, P=0.039) were significant predictors of breakfast consumption. Breakfast consumption was not significantly associated with physical health indicators (P>0.05), but it was positively associated with cognitive and motor performance (P<0.05).
Conclusion: Overall, it appears that regular breakfast consumption at home is associated with improved cognitive and motor function in girls aged 7-11 years.