THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BREAKFAST CONSUMPTION, SATIETY, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND NUTRITIONAL STATUS AMONG PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS

Breakfast is pivotal in shaping children’s satiety, activity levels, and overall nutritional well-being, yet its influence remains underexplored among primary school pupils in Nigeria. This study examined the relationship between breakfast consumption, satiety, physical activity, and nutritional status among public primary school pupils in Ondo, Ondo State, Nigeria. A total of 160 pupils were selected using a multistage sampling procedure. Data on socioeconomic characteristics, breakfast consumption, satiety, physical activity, and nutritional status were collected using structured questionnaires. The mean age of the pupils was 10.65 ± 1.38 years, with most distributed across Primaries 4 (45.6%), 5 (37.5%), 6 (16.9%) respectively. Most (88.1%) reported eating breakfast, and 81.3% consumed it daily. Most pupils (68.1%) reported feeling very full after breakfast, while 20.0% felt just right, 8.1% a little hungry, and 3.8% were very hungry. Regarding nutritional status, 76.9% were within the normal range, 13.1% were thin, 5.0% severely thin, and 5.0% overweight. Regarding activity levels, 61.3% were classified as low and 38.8% as high. Chi-square analysis revealed no significant associations between breakfast consumption, satiety, activity levels, and nutritional status. The findings suggest that while breakfast consumption is common, its frequency alone does not predict nutritional outcomes. Intervention programs should therefore extend beyond promoting breakfast intake to emphasise meal quality and dietary diversity to improve children’s nutritional status.