Abstract
A study was performed to determine the characteristics of young children with a poor appetite at both breakfast and dinner. A questionnaire survey was conducted on 2, 145 children attending kindergarten during September 2000 regarding “appetite”, “lifestyle”, “play areas”, “meal partners” and “health”.
Many young children (43.1%) reported a poor appetite at breakfast. Those children with such a poor appetite tended to sleep later, get up later, and eat breakfast later than those children who reported a good appetite in the morning. Most children who reported eating breakfast alone also tended to play indoors, and many who complained of health displayed a poor morning appetite. Most children who reported a poor appetite at dinner also demonstrated a poor appetite at breakfast.
More children who ate breakfast alone represented those with a poor appetite at both breakfast and dinner than those who reported a good appetite at dinner. Some of the children who reported a poor appetite at both breakfast and dinner quoted general ailments. The results suggest that an awareness of the situation at dinner would be useful for understanding overall eating habits.
