Dietary Habits Are Associated With School Performance in Adolescents

Abstract

Several studies suggest that dietary habits are associated with poor academic performance. However, few studies have evaluated these relations after adjusting for numerous confounding factors. This study evaluated the frequency of various diet items (fruit, soft drinks, fast foods, instant noodles, confections, vegetables, and milk) and the regularity of meal times (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) all at once.A total of 359,264 participants aged from 12 to 18 years old were pooled from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (KYRBWS) for the 2009 to 2013 period. Dietary habits over the last 7 days were surveyed, including the regularity of consuming breakfast, lunch and dinner and the frequency of eating fruits, soft drinks, fast foods, instant noodles, confections, vegetables, and milk. Physical activity, obesity, region of residence, subjective assessment of health, stress level, economic level, and parental education level were collected from all of the study participants. School performance was classified into 5 levels. The adjusted odds ratios (AORs) of dietary habits for school performance were analyzed using multinomial logistic regression analyses with complex sampling. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the effects of diet factors on school performance while considering the effects of other variables on both diet factors and school performance.Frequent intakes of breakfast (AOR = 2.34, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.20–2.48), fruits (AOR = 1.73, 95% CI = 1.62–1.86), vegetables (AOR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.37–1.61), and milk (AOR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.28–1.43) were related to high levels of school performance (each with P < 0.001). In contrast, soft drinks (AOR = 0.42, 95% CI = 0.38–0.46), instant noodles (AOR = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.55–0.70), fast food (AOR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.72–0.96), and confectionary (AOR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.80–0.93) were negatively associated with school performance (each with P < 0.001).This study confirms previous studies of school performance and dietary habits that find a positive association with eating breakfast and consuming fruits and milk and a negative relation with soft drinks, instant noodles, fast foods, and confections.

The Association between Eating Habits and Body Mass Index among Nursing Students

“…Supporting to these study findings, [40] ; [46]; [58] and [59], revealed that meal leaving out; principally breakfast, and diverse weight loss eating behaviors were various unhealthy dietary behaviors showed by Malaysian adolescent girls. This in line with [47], who reported that less than half of study subjects had breakfast daily.…”

Sport Types and Time Spent Playing Sport Are Associated with Eating Pattern Among Young Brazilian Athletes

“…This prevalence is much lower once compared with Egyptian adolescent athletes (78.5%) (33). Eating breakfast regularly is relevant, as it reduces the consumption of unhealthy snack foods during the day and may improve consumption of fiber-rich products and lead to a more even distribution of energy and nutrient intake throughout the day, that may improve glucose and insulin metabolism, appetite regulation (hunger and satiety); thus reducing risk of becoming overweight (5). Moreover, breakfast consumption may improve cognitive function and school performance (5).…”

“…Eating breakfast regularly is relevant, as it reduces the consumption of unhealthy snack foods during the day and may improve consumption of fiber-rich products and lead to a more even distribution of energy and nutrient intake throughout the day, that may improve glucose and insulin metabolism, appetite regulation (hunger and satiety); thus reducing risk of becoming overweight (5). Moreover, breakfast consumption may improve cognitive function and school performance (5). Thus, our findings are concerning due to the lower prevalence of regular breakfast consumption in athletes, as compared to young students from Brazil (34), who reported a frequency higher than 75%.…”

“…Secondly, with regard to health, developing a good eating pattern (such as having breakfast, adequate choice and frequency of healthy foods) that is continued in adulthood may reduce the risk of disordered eating and chronic diseases (3). Furthermore, unhealthy eating pattern is associated with poor mental health (4) and academic performance (5).…”

Efeitos de um modelo de oferta e retirada de dieta de cafeteria sobre o comportamento alimentar e ansiedade em ratas

“…O consumo alimentar inadequado durante a juventude é extremamente preocupante pois está relacionado a diversos fatores de risco para doenças cardiovasculares, como hipertensão, dislipidemia, hiperinsulinemia e resistência à insulina; além de comorbidades como diabetes mellitus tipo 2, síndrome do ovário policístico, entre outras anormalidades respiratórias, ortopédicas e hepáticas (REILLY et al, 2003). Crianças e adolescentes obesos também apresentam mais frequentemente distúrbios psicológicos (REILLY et al, 2003), baixo rendimento escolar (KIM et al, 2016), e anormalidades no ciclo menstrual (RUPA VANI et al, 2013). Além disso, a prevalência de distúrbios alimentares, como a compulsão alimentar, tem aumentado entre adolescentes (DAVIS, 2013).…”