Abstract
Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the determining factors that have influence on elementary students who go without breakfast and identified their physical, mental and social health that may resulted by skipping breakfast. Methods: For data collection, total 855 elementary students at the 5th and 6th grade in an urban and a rural area were asked to join the survey using a self-administered questionnaire from March 25 to April 9, 2005. The data were analyzed through a series of statistical methods including frequency, percentage, chi-square$(X^2)$ test, t-test and multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: It was found that 24.0 % of respondents would skip breakfast, and influential socioeconomic factors on their skipped breakfast were economic level and mother's occupation. A group that has meals more with family everyday and a group that has breakfast served by mother as usual showed significantly low percentage of going without breakfast at statistical level(p<0.05). In case that other family members used to go without breakfast, there was a tendency to significantly high rate of skipped breakfast(p<0.01). And a group who got up early in the morning and a group who scored high points in the assessment of dietary habit showed significantly low percentage of skipped breakfast(p<0.01). In the result of multiple logistic regression analysis, the significant variables in urban area were economic level, person setting up breakfast, getting-up time and family members who would skip a meal. In rural area, meal-skipping family member, person setting up breakfast and dietary habit were significant variables(p<0.05). In physical influences according to skipping breakfast, students would skip breakfast had more stomach or dizziness(p<0.05). Depression score were higher and school life score were lower in group skipping breakfast, but not statistically significant. Conclusions: In conclusion, in order to reduce the rate of elementary students who often go without breakfast, it is favorable that they should be instructed in the importance of breakfast and the harm of skipped meal, so that they can cultivate positive living habits and dietary attitudes as well. And it is necessary that this health education cover not only students but also all of their family members(especially mother). Furthermore, it is necessary to develop systematic programs for them to get over environment factors.