Cliona Ní Mhurchú|Maria Turley|Delvina Gorton|Yannan Jiang|Jo Michie|Ralph Maddison|John Hattie
Effects of a free school breakfast programme on school attendance, achievement, psychosocial function, and nutrition: a stepped wedge cluster randomised trial
University of Auckland|University of Auckland|University of Auckland|University of Auckland|University of Auckland|University of Auckland|University of Auckland
approximately 55000 children new zealand eat breakfast given day regular breakfast skipping associated poor diets higher body mass index adverse effects childrens behaviour academic performance research suggests regular breakfast consumption improve academic performance nutrition behaviour paper describes protocol stepped wedge cluster randomised trial free school breakfast programme aim trial determine effects breakfast intervention school attendance achievement psychosocial function dietary habits food securitysixteen primary schools north island new zealand randomised sequential stepped wedge design free beforeschool breakfast programme consisting nonsugar coated breakfast cereal milk products andor toast spreads four hundred children aged 513 years approximately 25 per school recruited data collection undertaken school term 2010 school year february december primary trial outcome school attendance defined proportion students achieving attendance rate 95 higher secondary outcomes academic achievement literacy numeracy selfreported grades sense belonging school psychosocial function dietary habits food security concurrent process evaluation seeks information parents schools providers perspectives breakfast programmethis randomised controlled trial provide robust evidence effects school breakfast programme students attendance achievement nutrition furthermore study provides excellent example feasibility value stepped wedge trial design evaluating pragmatic public health intervention programmesaustralian new zealand clinical trials registry anzctr actrn12609000854235