Parental Knowledge and Children’s Breakfast Practices: A Study Among Primary School Children at Rathnapura Royal College, Sri Lanka

Breakfast is considered the most vital meal of the day, supplying essential nutrients and energy required for children’s growth, learning, and cognitive performance. In Sri Lanka, changing lifestyles and economic transitions have influenced breakfast habits, often leading to nutritionally imbalanced meals. Understanding current breakfast practices and their determinants is crucial for improving child nutrition and supporting national school-feeding initiatives. To assess parental knowledge and children’s breakfast practices among primary school children at Rathnapura Royal College, Sri Lanka. A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 253 primary school children (Grades 4 and 5) selected using a convenience sampling method. Data were collected from parents or guardians using a validated self-administered questionnaire that assessed sociodemographic characteristics, parental knowledge, and children’s breakfast practices through a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). The tool demonstrated high validity (CVI = 0.92) and reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.82). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26 with descriptive and chi-square statistics, and p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Ethical approval was obtained from the KIU Ethics Review Committee (KIU/ERC/24/314). Among the participants, 152 (60.1%) were females and 101 (39.9%) were males, with a mean age of 9.5 years (SD = 0.5). Nearly all children (n = 244; 96.4%) consumed breakfast regularly, but 220 (87%) primarily ate rice or rice-based meals, while only 69 (27.3%) consumed fruits and 104 (41.0%) consumed milk or dairy daily. Parental knowledge was high, with 189 (74.7%) demonstrating good knowledge (M = 2.8 ± 0.4). Significant associations were observed between breakfast practices and mother’s education level (χ² (3, n = 253) = 12.37, p = .030) and gender (χ² (1, n = 253) = 8.56, p = .035), while age, religion, ethnicity, and father’s education showed no significant relationships (p > .05). Although most children in Rathnapura consume breakfast regularly, meal diversity remains limited. Enhancing maternal nutrition education and implementing culturally tailored, school-based breakfast programs are essential to promote balanced and nutrient-rich breakfast habits among Sri Lankan schoolchildren. Keywords: breakfast practices, parental knowledge, Sri Lanka