A Comparison of Child Breakfast Consumption Habits and Parental Dietary Awareness in Japan between 2001 and 2017

• Published in: Journal of Home Economics of Japan Vol. 72; no. 3; pp. 128 - 139
• Main Authors: AYABE, Sonoko, OTSUKA, Emiko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: The Japan Society of Home Economics 2021
• Subjects: breakfast; children's diet; comparison survey; dietary habits; parental dietary awareness
• ISSN: 0913-5227; 1882-0352
• DOI: 10.11428/jhej.72.128

  In 2001, we conducted a dietary survey to clarify how breakfast intake and living conditions of children and diet awareness of parents were associated with children's eating habits. The results of the present survey were compared with the results of the previous survey. The surveys were conducted in July 2001 and 2017 in A city. Self-reporting questionnaires were distributed to parents of children attending kindergarten and nursery school. A total of 387 (67.7%, 2001) and 381 (84.7%, 2017) responses were returned. The 2017 survey revealed that children's regularity of life was higher, 98% of children were consuming breakfast every morning and breakfast consumption patterns were diverse. From the results, it may be said that parents have the motivation to improve their children's eating habits. We were able to broadly categorise the diet awareness of these parents into four groups, and, compared with the results of the 2001 survey, we found an increase in the proportion of respondents who fell into the healthy eating habits category. In the future, we would like to consider the quality of breakfasts that parents serve their children.