Researchers created and tested a new questionnaire to measure breakfast eating habits in Spanish children and teenagers. The tool asks about 21 different breakfast foods and drinks to understand whether young people are eating healthy breakfasts. Scientists gave the questionnaire to 248 kids and teens twice, two weeks apart, to see if it gave consistent answers. The results show that the questionnaire is generally reliable and trustworthy for measuring breakfast habits, though a few food items were harder to track accurately. This tool could help doctors and nutritionists better understand breakfast patterns in Spanish youth and their connection to health.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: Whether a new breakfast survey accurately measures what Spanish children and teenagers eat for breakfast
  • Who participated: 248 young people from Spain: 77 children (average age 10.7 years, about half girls) and 171 teenagers (average age 14.1 years, about half girls)
  • Key finding: The breakfast questionnaire gave consistent and reliable answers most of the time when kids and teens filled it out twice, two weeks apart. The tool worked well for tracking most foods, though a couple of items like cheese and milk desserts were harder to measure accurately in girls
  • What it means for you: If you’re a parent, teacher, or health professional in Spain, this tool can now be used to reliably ask young people about their breakfast habits. However, remember that this is just one tool and should be combined with other health information for the best picture of a child’s nutrition

The Research Details

Researchers created a questionnaire with 21 questions about breakfast foods organized into seven food groups. They asked 248 Spanish young people (children and teenagers) to fill out the same questionnaire twice, exactly 14 days apart, at the same time of day and on the same day of the week. This approach helps check if the questionnaire gives the same answers when used repeatedly, which is called ’test-retest reliability.’ The scientists analyzed the results separately for boys and girls, and for younger children versus teenagers, to see if the tool worked equally well for everyone.

The questionnaire also included two special scores that measure overall breakfast quality, not just what foods are eaten. This makes it more useful than just counting individual foods. The researchers used statistical methods called the kappa coefficient and Spearman’s correlation to measure how consistent the answers were between the two times the questionnaire was completed.

This type of study is important because it validates whether a measurement tool actually works before it’s used in larger research studies or health programs. Without this testing, researchers couldn’t be confident that differences they see in breakfast habits are real differences and not just measurement errors.

Having a reliable tool to measure breakfast habits is crucial because breakfast quality has been linked to better school performance, healthier weight, and better overall development in young people. In Spain, there wasn’t a validated questionnaire specifically designed for Spanish children and teenagers, so researchers had to create and test one. This ensures the tool accounts for Spanish breakfast traditions and food preferences, making it more accurate than using questionnaires designed for other countries.

This study has several strengths: it tested the tool on a reasonable sample size (248 participants), it included both children and teenagers, it had a good balance of boys and girls, and it used established statistical methods to check reliability. The two-week gap between questionnaires is appropriate for measuring consistency. However, the study only included Spanish youth, so results may not apply to other countries. The study focused only on whether the tool gives consistent answers, not whether those answers are actually accurate compared to what kids really eat (which would require comparing to food diaries or other methods).

What the Results Show

Overall, the Spanish Youth Breakfast Consumption Questionnaire (SYBC-Q) proved to be a reliable tool for measuring breakfast habits in Spanish children and teenagers. When looking at all the results together, children showed acceptable to good agreement between their first and second answers, with correlation scores ranging from moderate to high (kappa values: 0.23-0.71; correlation values: 0.37-0.76). This means that most of the time, when kids answered the questionnaire two weeks later, they gave similar answers to their first time.

The questionnaire worked particularly well for measuring overall breakfast quality and most individual food items. The two breakfast quality scores—which give an overall picture of how healthy a child’s breakfast is—showed good consistency between test and retest. This suggests the tool successfully captures whether a young person is eating a nutritious breakfast or not.

However, the study did identify some weak spots. Two specific food items showed poor consistency in girls: ‘Take Cheese’ and ‘Take Milk dessert’ both had low agreement and poor correlation. This means that girls’ answers about eating cheese and milk-based desserts at breakfast varied significantly between the two questionnaire completions, suggesting these items may be confusing or that girls’ consumption of these items is genuinely variable.

When the researchers looked at results separately by age group and gender, the pattern was similar: the tool generally worked well, but some items performed better in certain groups than others. This suggests the questionnaire may need slight adjustments for measuring cheese and milk dessert consumption, particularly in girls.

The study found that the questionnaire’s performance was generally consistent across different age groups and genders, with most food categories showing good to moderate reliability. The breakfast quality scores performed particularly well, suggesting that the tool is especially useful for assessing overall breakfast nutrition rather than tracking individual foods. The researchers noted that the structured format of the questionnaire—organizing foods into seven categories—helped maintain consistency in how young people answered questions.

This is the first validated breakfast questionnaire specifically designed for Spanish children and adolescents. Previous research in other countries has shown that breakfast quality is important for youth health, but Spain lacked a culturally appropriate tool to measure this. This new questionnaire fills that gap by including Spanish breakfast traditions and foods. The reliability levels found in this study are comparable to or better than similar breakfast assessment tools used in other countries, suggesting the SYBC-Q is a solid addition to nutrition research tools.

The study only tested whether the questionnaire gives consistent answers when used twice; it didn’t compare the questionnaire answers to what young people actually ate (measured by food diaries or direct observation). This means we know the tool is consistent, but we can’t be completely sure it accurately measures real breakfast consumption. The study only included Spanish youth, so the results may not apply to Spanish-speaking youth in other countries or to non-Spanish populations. Additionally, the two-week time period between questionnaires might not be long enough to capture seasonal changes in breakfast habits. Finally, the poor performance of two items (cheese and milk dessert) in girls suggests the questionnaire may need refinement before being used in large-scale studies.

The Bottom Line

Health professionals and researchers in Spain can now confidently use the SYBC-Q to measure breakfast habits in children and teenagers (ages 10-17). The tool is reliable for assessing overall breakfast quality and most individual food items. However, when interpreting results about cheese and milk dessert consumption in girls, additional questions or observation may be helpful. Confidence level: Moderate to High for overall breakfast assessment; Moderate for specific food items in girls.

This tool is most useful for: Spanish pediatricians and nutritionists assessing youth breakfast habits, researchers studying breakfast and health in Spanish populations, schools developing breakfast programs, and public health officials creating nutrition guidelines for Spanish youth. It may be less useful for: families outside Spain (though the approach could be adapted), very young children under 10 years old, or situations where extremely detailed food tracking is needed. Parents can also use the questionnaire informally to reflect on their child’s breakfast patterns.

If changes are made based on this questionnaire, improvements in health markers (like energy levels, school performance, or weight) typically take 4-8 weeks to become noticeable. However, the questionnaire itself provides immediate feedback about breakfast quality, which can motivate changes right away. Long-term benefits of improved breakfast habits develop over months to years.

Want to Apply This Research?

  • Users can complete the SYBC-Q questionnaire weekly or bi-weekly to track breakfast patterns over time. Specifically, track the two breakfast quality scores to see if overall breakfast nutrition is improving, and monitor individual food categories (grains, fruits, dairy, proteins, etc.) to identify which breakfast components need attention.
  • Use the app to set a weekly breakfast goal based on the questionnaire results. For example, if the tool shows low fruit consumption at breakfast, set a goal to include fruit 4 out of 7 days. The app can send reminders on breakfast days and allow users to log which foods they actually ate, creating accountability and motivation for change.
  • Establish a baseline by completing the questionnaire once, then repeat it every 2-4 weeks to track changes in breakfast habits. Create a visual chart showing breakfast quality scores over time. Set specific targets for food categories that scored low (like adding more whole grains or reducing sugary items). Share results with a healthcare provider or nutritionist every 3 months to adjust goals based on progress.

This research describes a tool for measuring breakfast habits in Spanish youth and does not provide medical advice. The questionnaire is designed for assessment purposes and should not replace professional nutritional counseling from a registered dietitian or healthcare provider. If you have concerns about a child’s nutrition or health, please consult with a qualified healthcare professional. This study was conducted in Spanish populations and may not apply to other groups. Always discuss any significant dietary changes with a healthcare provider, especially for children with allergies, medical conditions, or special dietary needs.