QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF STUDENTS' BREAKFAST HABITS AND SCHOOL BREAKFAST PARTICIPATION IN TWO PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to identify key drivers of students' breakfast habits, including eating breakfast at home or at school, to inform strategies that school nutrition professionals might use to increase participation in School Breakfast Programs (SBPs). METHODS A convenience sample of students in grades 1-12 from two public school districts in Connecticut participated in focus groups. Each of the 13 focus groups included students from two or three grade levels and was facilitated by a lead moderator and note-taker. Recorded discussions were transcribed with students' comments coded to identify common themes. Within each theme, the grade levels of participants were identified to determine whether the theme represented comments by elementary school (grades 1-6), middle school (grades 7-8), and/or high school (grades 9-12) participants. RESULTS A total of 105 students (57% female, 43% male) participated. Across all grade levels, hunger, or a desire to avoid its adverse effects (e.g., grumpiness, headache), was identified as a consistently mentioned reason for eating breakfast. Other reasons included parental influence (elementary students), desire to improve energy (elementary students), and desire to improve school performance (elementary and middle school students). Breakfast skipping was often reported by middle and high school students, who cited inadequate time and lack of hunger as reasons. Across all grade levels, reasons for not participating in the SBP included distaste for, distrust of, and/or cost of school foods. Inconvenience of eating at school and perception of school foods as unhealthy or "junk" were cited by elementary and middle school students. Suggestions to improve school breakfast included more choices (all grades), improved freshness or quality of foods (all grades), and healthier options (elementary and middle school students). APPLICATION TO CHILD NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS Emphasizing food quality and increasing convenience of school breakfast may help to increase SBP participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]