Breakfast Eating in Elementary School Students in Jiroft, Iran: An Application of Transtheoretical Model

 Breakfast is a very important meal. It can either make or break your day, and it can be a daunting task.

 We used the transtheoretical model (TTM) to assess the trend of breakfast eating among elementary school students in Jiroft city, Iran.

 In this descriptive‑analytic research, 290 elementary school students in Jiroft city were selected using stratified sampling. Data were collected using a questionnaire to assess breakfast eating trends according to TTM. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 16.

 Approximately 9.3% of the participants were in the precontemplation stage, 21.7% in the contemplation stage, 7.2% in the action stage, 53.4% in the preparation stage, and 8.3% in the maintenance stage. There was a significant relationship between TTM constructs and stages of change in breakfast consumption 2 or more times a week. Moving from the precontemplation stage to the maintenance stage was associated with an increase in decisional balance, processes of change, and self‑efficacy (P < 0.05).

 It is suggested to emphasize the importance of perceived benefits and greater self-efficacy in the design of educational interventions based on this model, increase the use of change processes, and decrease the perceived barriers as much as possible to establish correct behaviors.