Breakfast skipping and academic / social development of pupils in Port Harcourt, South - South, Nigeria

Abstract

The researchers sought to find-out the effects of breakfast skipping on the academic and social development of the primary school child. A nine item researchers designed questionnaire titled “Assessment of the effects of skipping breakfast on the children by pupils was the basic instrument”. It
was validated by experts in the area of study. It had a reliability coefficient of .70; and was responded to on a 4-=point likert scale. It was administered to 100 pupils randomly selected from Port Harcourt Metropolis. It had a research question and 2 hypotheses. It found out that parents instructions, pupils choice and lack of food were responsible for skipping of breakfast by pupils. It also established that breakfast had strong relationship with academic and social developments of the school child. It concludes that since proper feeding is necessary for the child’s academic and social development, the abandoned UBE feeding programme should be reinstated. To find the feeding programme, small
amount may be deducted from workers salaries; while to create awareness over the effects of skipping breakfast, churches, mosque, schools and other agencies should engage in enlightening programmes