The awareness, knowledge and attitude to a healthy lifestyle, and the physical conditions associated with breakfast intake and food groups intake frequencies were examined in June 2006. The subjects for the analysis were 1,358 first-year junior high school students comprising 714 males and 644 females attending 9 different schools. The survey on eating habits revealed a significant number of students regularly not eating breakfast, while 88.3% ate breakfast every day. The intake frequency of cereals, milk and dairy products, meat, fish and shellfish was relatively high, although the intake of vegetables, soybeans and pulses, seaweed and potatoes was low. The group of students who ate breakfast had a higher food groups intake frequencies, practiced a healthier lifestyle, had higher individual scores for awareness, knowledge and attitudes to a healthy lifestyle, and had fewer complaints than the other students. The results of this study suggest that dietary education in the classroom is the foundation for school health education to encourage the best attitude to health. As well improving dietary habits and providing the guide to a healthy life, dietary education is important for promoting the awareness of a healthy lifestyle and providing health knowledge to junior high school students.
