Relationship between School Performance and Diet Intake

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER # 1: INTRODUCTION1

Background of the study1

Literature Review2

Type Of Food Eaten3

Relationship between Health and Educational Performance4

Quality of Food Intake and School Performance4

REFERENCES6

CHAPTER # 1: INTRODUCTION

The main objective of the study was to determine whether dietary habits were associated with academic performance. Previous research surrounding nutrition and academic performance has focused on the effects of food insufficiency, specific dietary components such as iron and other micronutrients and, more recently, breakfast on cognitive function and academic performance. The effects of food insufficiency can prevent healthy child development and result in decreased cognitive ability. The relationship between iron status and cognitive functioning and academic performance among children has been a focus of a number of observational studies and evaluated interventions (Richardson and Montgomery 2005 1360).

Background of the study

The effects of diet on school performance are important as school performance and resulting educational attainment are associated with numerous measures of population health. Most importantly, individuals with lower levels of education tend to experience poorer health. Nutrition and school performance are both influenced by socioeconomic status (Kleinman et al., 2002 24). Overall, children and youth who are socioeconomically advantaged consume healthier diets and perform better in school.

The adoption of a healthy diet in childhood is important to present and future health status. For instance, in terms of health

Adequate nutrition is essential to healthy child development which in turn influences health throughout the life course,

Dietary behaviors established in childhood most often continue through adolescence and into adulthood, and

Increased risk factors for chronic disease such as poor diet and obesity in childhood most often result in increased chronic disease risk factors in adulthood.

In terms of lifestyle, a healthy diet also positively affects academic performance and school success. Poor diet quality can result in micronutrient and macronutrient deficiencies that negatively impact concentration and learning and have a corresponding negative effect on school performance (Halterman et al., 2001 1381). Additionally, poor diet can contribute to obesity which has been shown to have corresponding negative effects on self-esteem and hence school performance.

The main focus of this study is to analyze the relationship between school performance and diet intake. This study highlights the association between nutrient intake and school performance of children.

Literature Review

Academic performance of a child or adolescent may vary during the school year, and are often related to the character, behavior and the fatigue of the individual. Daily work and a good level of concentration during the course of course remains the key to getting good grades. However, there are certain nutrients to improve memory, attention and fatigue. Diet is paramount in maintaining these cognitive functions, because many nutrients (macro and micro) in the processes of learning and memory (Halterman et al., 2001 1381). Many things can affect the functioning of brain areas responsible for learning. Fatigue, poor diet or stresses are the main cause of a malfunction. But certain diseases can also slow down and hinder the intellectual development of children.

Type Of Food Eaten

Nutrition directly impacts the ...