A multifactorial approach of nutritional, intellectual, brain development, cardiovascular risk, socio-economic, demographic and educational variables affecting the scholastic achievement in Chilean students: An eight- year follow-up study

Abstract

The aim of this study was to quantitate the relative impact of nutritional, intellectual, brain development, cardiovascular risk, socio-economic, demographic and educational variables on the results of the 2009 Quality Education Measurement System (SIMCE) tests of language and mathematics for scholastic achievement (SA) applying a multifactorial approach, in school-age children of the 2010 5 th elementary school grade (5ESG) and of the 1 st grade of high school (1HSG). The purposes were: i) to test the hypothesis that intellectual ability, the level of SA of the educational establishments in the 2009 SIMCE tests, sex, parental schooling levels, and head circumference-for-age Z-score are the most relevant parameters associated with 2009 SIMCE outcomes; ii) to determine the predictive ability of the 2009 SIMCE results in determining the 2013 SIMCE outcomes for the 2010 5ESG cohort (when they graduated from elementary school, 8 th grade) and for determining the 2013 University Selection Test (PSU) outcomes for the 2010 1HSG group (for university admission, when they graduated from high school, 4 th grade); iii) to determine the association between the 2009 SIMCE results with the 2017 PSU outcomes for the 2010 5ESG group (for university admission, when they graduated from high school, 4 th grade). A representative, proportional and stratified sample of 33 schools of the Metropolitan Region of Chile was randomly chosen. In these schools, 1,353 school-age children of both sexes, of the 2010 5ESG (n = 682; mean age = 10.8 years, SD = 0.6) and of the 2010 1HSG (n = 671; mean age = 14.8 years, SD = 0.6) participated. In both grades and tests, the findings confirm the hypotheses formulated. 2009 SIMCE outcomes were positively and significantly associated with 2013 SIMCE and with 2017 PSU and, with 2013 PSU outcomes in school-age children from 2010 5ESG and 1HSG, respectively. These findings may be useful for educational and health planning in Chile and countries in a comparable stage of development.

Determinants of Fruits and Vegetables Consumption among In-School Adolescents in Ghana

“…Given the low level of FVs consumption among in-school adolescents in Ghana, the academic achievement of these adolescents may be hindered since cognitive and intellectual development requires adequate food nutrients for the brain to function efficiently and effectively [46,47]. Therefore, adequate nutrition should be provided for in-school adolescents in Ghana as this will help in achieving academic excellence.…”

Higher Academic Stress Was Associated with Increased Risk of Overweight and Obesity among College Students in China

“…First, the cross-sectional design could not address the causal effects of academic stress variables on overweight and obesity among college students. Other factors associated with academic stress (e.g., the intellectual ability and head circumference) [35] and the nutritional status (e.g., dietary intake, physical activity) [36] of college students need to be investigated and considered in future work. It is important to continually monitor changes in academic stress over time alongside changes in nutritional status to observe possible effects of each other in cross-lagged analyses.…”

Brain structural parameters correlate with University Selection Test outcomes in Chilean high school graduates

“…The learning process is a multidimensional issue that depends on several elements related to the child, the families, and the educational system 1 – 3 . Studies about scholastic achievement (SA) have shown that several neurobiological factors impact academic performance.…”