Objective: To study the relationship between the breakfast quality and skipping it on academic performance of a population of adolescents.
Method: A nutritional study on the breakfast quality has been performed in a population of adolescents from Guadalajara (467 young people; age: 12-17 years) by means of questionnaires of seven-day consumption frequency. Besides, we have collected socio-demographic data and academic scores of these people.
Results: Most of the students interviewed take a deficient breakfast since only 4.88% have a complete breakfast. The girls aged 15-17 years are those taking the poorest quality breakfast since 8.33% of them skip this meal. 68.29% take breakfasts which quality may be improved. The breakfast quality is directly related with the mean score obtained during the course 2003-04. This relationship is not so clear-cut when the different mandatory subjects in the different academic orientations are considered since it depends on the type of subject (comprehension, memory, concentration, physical activity...).
Conclusions: The population studied consumes a poor breakfast, which may affect the academic outcomes, especially those for certain subjects.