Background: Breakfast is often considered the most important meal of the day; however, many children and adolescents regularly skip this morning meal. This study aims to investigate breakfast and snack consumption patterns, as well as the factors influencing these behaviors among primary and high school students in Iran.
Materials and Methods: In this systematic review, two independent researchers selected articles that reported on the status of breakfast and snacks among students from the Scopus, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CINAHL, Medline, CIVILICA databases, and the Google Scholar search engine, without any time restrictions up to December 2022.
Results: A total of 21 studies involving 45,778 children and adolescents were included. The results indicated that 20.75% (9.3–32.2) of school children and 17.09% (2.1–32.08) of high school students skipped breakfast. Additionally, 54.1% (10.5–97.7) of children and 55.05% (17.3–92.8) of adolescents reported consuming breakfast regularly. Midmorning snack intake was observed in 55.35% (13–97.7) of children and 72.4% (48.6–96.2) of adolescents. The primary reasons for skipping breakfast included low appetite, waking up late, unappetizing foods, and lack of attention from mothers. A significant relationship was found between snack consumption and various factors, including maternal age, maternal educational level, gender, urban residency, and the students’ birth order (p < 0.045). An inverse relationship was identified between students’ age and economic situation and breakfast consumption (p = 0.01, r = -0.143).
Conclusion: Breakfast skipping and snack consumption were common among children and adolescents. The primary reasons for missing breakfast included low appetite, waking up late in the morning, unappetizing foods, and a lack of attention from mothers. It is essential to develop school health promotion programs for parents and students to encourage healthy eating habits, including nutritious breakfasts and snacks.