Dilum R Weliwita
University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka
Title: Analysis of breakfast habits of children aged between 10-15 years in a selected private International schools in Colombo, Sri Lanka and corrective recommendations
Biography
Biography: Dilum R Weliwita
Abstract
Statement of the problem: It is a known fact that the breakfast, which is recognized as the most important meal of the day, should not be skipped. In the case of schooling children, there may be a possibility that the busy morning schedule may exert a pressure on parents and children to skip the breakfast altogether. At least, it may have an impact on choosing the type of the breakfast. In addition, private international school has students, coming from not only the Colombo and suburb area but also from the far away from the Colombo city , therefore getting up early to come to school and not living with the parents could affect on their breakfast habits . The purpose of the study was to analysis the breakfast habits among international school children aged between 10-15 in Colombo, Sri Lanka and give corrective recommendations Findings: It was found that a half of the children subjected to the current study omitted breakfast routinely. Only one third had a regular breakfast. Conclusion and recommendations: The majority indicated that they were aware of the importance of consuming breakfast and that they felt hungry in the morning. The vast majority, including the breakfast skippers, stated that lack of time as a factor that had the main negative impact on having breakfast routinely, therefore current study recommended allocation of a time slot for breakfast in the morning time table at the school.