Contents - Previous - Next This is the old United Nations
University website. Visit the new site at http://unu.edu Effects
of breakfast on classroom behaviour in rural Jamaican
schoolchildren Susan M. Chang, Susan P. Walker, John Himes, and
Sally M. Grantham-McGregor The effects of giving breakfast on
classroom behaviour were examined in 57 undernourished (<= - 1
SD weight-for-age) and 56 adequately nourished (>-I SD weight-
forage) children, selected from four rural Jamaican schools.
Using a time-sampling method of observation, the children's
behaviour was observed twice, once after receiving breakfast and
once after receiving a piece of fruit. The impact of breakfast
varied among the schools but not between nutritional groups. In
the school that was best equipped and organized, the children
were more attentive (p <.005) and moved less (p <.05) when they
received breakfast than when they had no breakfast. In the other
three schools there was no improvement; in two of these schools,
the children were less on t