Nutrition+and+Student+Academic+Performance


 * By: Tara Jones-Lawrence **

=Overview = As the nation continues to be more driven by test scores and closing a wide achievement gap, it has become imperative that teachers, administrators, and parents work diligently to allow children to receive the best education possible. While policy-makers and stakeholders would like to suggest that grant money and resources should be the most suitable solution, perhaps a more sensible solution would be to take a look into nutrition. Students that are well nourished are ready to learn ([|Novello, Degraw, Kleinman, 1992]). Nutritional development and student achievement, while important, has been highly underrepresented and researched even though a correlation exists between nutrition, cognition, and psychosocial behavior ([|Novello, Degraw, Kleinman, 1992]).

According to the Online Journal of New Horizons in Education, "because community or national development depends largely on the quality of education, an understanding of the nature of the relationship between health and education is important for policy leaders, stakeholders, teachers and any others directly involved in the cause of student academic achievement. Generally it is believed that the basis for any true development must commence with the development of human resources. It has been argued that health is an important factor for academic achievement in school. As a result, in the perspective of middle and secondary education, promoting the health and well-being of students means promoting effective learning. Chronic malnutrition experienced during early life inhibits growth, retards mental development, and reduces motivation and energy level, causing a reduction of educational attainments and delay in school entry."

= Trend or Issue? = It is 7:30 in the morning. Your stand in your door greeting children, dry erase marker in hand and you are officially ready to begin your day. You have meticulously created activities that are full of engagement, relevance and eager to teach students who are ready to learn. As you observe your classroom, do you see eyes that are bright and expectant? Or do you see eyes anxious, sleeping, or distracted students? What happens to your as the morning continues? Mid-afternoon? Do students seem tired and stressed or is the willingness to learn still preserved? According to research, the internal environment of the brain is an integral part of learning, just as important as the classroom environment. Interestingly, you may notice in some cases your students are not able or willing to learn due to poor hydration and/or inadequate nutrition.

= The Facts = On February 9, 2010, First Lady Michelle Obama launched her “Let’s Move!” campaign targeted at reducing childhood obesity rates and reversing an epidemic that has threatened our children nationally (Huber, 2012). First Lady Obama further urges school-aged children create lifestyle changes in food behavior because within the past three decades child obesity rates have tripled and nearly 1 in 3 children are overweight or obese. She also states that these numbers are higher for Blacks and Hispanics. She fears that one-third of American children born after 2000 or later “will suffer from diabetes at some point in their lives. Many others will face chronic obesity-related health problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and asthma" (Huber, 2012, p.12). media type="youtube" key="esS61VChvT0" width="514" height="369" align="right"
 * ** The Issue: **

Obesity is the result of consuming too many calories and not expelling enough calories (Ebbeling, Pawlak, & Ludwig, 2002). While genetic factors can also have an effect on the likelihood of becoming overweight and/or obese, the change in food behavior and environmental factors cannot be negated (Ebbling, et al, 2002). Thus, childhood obesity very much may be credited to environmental changes such as an increase in the consumption of soft drinks. Each soft drink contains 36 to 57 grams of sugar depending on size, and children who consume more than one additional soft drink daily potentially increase their caloric intake from sugar alone by hundreds. Furthermore, children have struggled to differentiate portion size and actual hunger as they grow older. In a study of three to six year olds, research has found that younger children were more likely to stop eating when they felt full regardless of the amount of food remaining. Conversely, older children consumed more food when given a larger portion size (Rolls, Engell, & Birch, 2000). In conclusion, children do not need as much food as adults; after all, they are smaller.

According to the [|National School Lunch Program], more than 31 million children are fed each day with meals supplied through the school cafeteria. Additionally, over 11 million children are fed breakfast through the School Breakfast Program. For nine months out of the year, schools and school cafeterias are the first line of defense for combating child hunger and obesity rates; however, until fall of 2012, nutritional standards for school cafeteria food lacked whole-grains, fruits, and some vegetables (Oliver, 2013). These are all food recognized by many health official as needed foods to live healthy, productive lives.

Overweight adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 consume an additional 700–1,000 calories per day (Bowman, Gortmaker, Ebbeling, Pereira, & Ludwig, 2004). This is beyond what is needed for growth and takes into consideration physical activity. Over the course of 10 years, this could lead to a weight gain of nearly 60 pounds (Bowman et al., 2004). With the growing prevalence of the fast-food industry, people are consuming additional unnecessary calories on a regular basis. In a study of over 12,000 children, Tobin (2013) found that that the frequent consumption of fast food (multiple times per week)was significantly related to a decrease in test scores in math and reading, and as the student consumed more fast food, the test scores continued to decrease. Students who had a higher than average intake of fast food had between 5% and 16% percent lower reading test scores and between 6% and 18% lower math test scores (Tobin, 2013).
 * ** The Research: **

Similarly, further research has shown that overweight and obese children perform at a lower academic level. Datar, Sturm, and Magnabosco (2004) indicated that overweight kindergartners and first-graders, on average, scored lower in math and reading than students who are of average weight. In addition, the effects of obesity on academics extend beyond early childhood. In a study of 14- to 17-year-olds, findings suggest a negative relationship between body weight and academic achievement among White females (Sabia, 2007). A study of 7,000 third graders, who had originally been tracked in kindergarten, showed that those children who were obese were more likely to repeat a grade than their classmates who maintain acceptable weight (Datar & Sturm, 2006).

Researchers have found that with an increase in obesity comes the development of other diseases, which may also affect academic achievement. For instance, studies have shown that the prevalence of obesity parallels a rise in Metabolic Syndrome (MetS), a disease that increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes; it is also associated with cognitive impairments in adults. Some believe that the same occurs with adolescents. Adolescents were tested based on a number of different criteria, including intellectual functioning and academic achievement, memory function, executive function, and attention and psychomotor efficiency. In a study conducted by Yau, Castro, Tagani, Tsui, and Convit (2012), adolescents with MetS scored lower than their non-MetS counterparts across all content areas. Children with MetS (i.e., obese children) scored lower in intelligence quotient (IQ), reading, spelling and arithmetic. Children who were obese in this sample also demonstrated shorter attention spans and decreased mental flexibility and tended to have lower estimated intellectual functioning, all of which may present challenges for children’s learning (Yau et al., 2012). Findings about nutrition, cognitive function, and academic achievement were consistent with the proposed relationship between academic achievement and obesity.

=How Teachers Can Help = [|This article] depicts how the childhood obesity epidemic is one of the greatest public health, social, and economic challenges of the 21st century. Without a strong contribution from schools, we are not likely to reverse the epidemic. Improving and increasing efforts to promote physical activity and healthy eating should be a consistent mission of EVERY school: educating young people to become healthy, productive citizens who can make meaningful contributions to society. But knowledge and resources alone are insufficient. Meaningful change requires a meta-cognitive shift in leadership. Teachers can help the efforts of reducing childhood obesity by persuading their administrative staff to include or do one or some of the following:


 * Encourage or create an action plan to remove current junk filled vending machines with healthier options like this [|one] (See proposal below)
 * Encourage the administration to supply teachers with fruits or healthy snacks and allowing 1-2 small snack breaks throughout the school day
 * Encouraging stretch breaks throughout the lesson
 * Encouraging plain milk or water intake throughout the day
 * Speak up at PTA or Parent meetings
 * Create an action plan with nutritional services
 * Incorporate a healthy lifestyle into your standards/curriculum
 * Encourage students to read labels (do not eat anything that you cannot pronounce)
 * MODEL for your students: Stay active, exercise, eat healthy, and smile :)



=Bibliography =

Bowman, S. A., Gortmaker, S. L., Ebbeling, C. B., Pereira, M. A., & Ludwig, D. S. (2004). Effects of fast-food consumption on energy intake and diet quality among children in a national household survey. //Pediatrics//, 113, 112–118. This study examines the effects of fast-food consumption in children.

Datar, A., & Sturm, R (2006). Childhood overweight and elementary school outcomes. //International Journal of Obesity//, 30, 1449–1460. This study examines meeting elementary outcomes in children who are overweight versus those who aren't.

Datar, A., Sturm, R., & Magnabosco, J. L. (2004). Childhood overweight and academic performance: National study of kindergartners and first-graders. //Obesity Research//, 12(1), 58–68 This study examines the weight of kindergartners and first graders and their academic performance.

Ebbeling, C. B., Pawlak, D. B., & Ludwig, D. S. (2002). Childhood obesity: Public-health crisis, common sense cure. //The Lancet//, 360, 473–482. This article discusses the how childhood obesity has become a public health issue that needs to be corrected.

Let's Move! (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.letsmove.gov This is the host site of First Lady Michelle Obama's initiative to end childhood obesity.

Tobin, K. J. (2013). Fast-food consumption and educational test scores in the USA. //Child: Care, Health and Development//, 39(1), 118–124. This article examines the consumption of fast-food among children and the effect of the consumption on test scores.

Yau, P. L., Castro, M. G., Tagani, A., Tsui, W. H., & Convit, A. (2012). Obesity and metabolic syndrome and functional and structural brain impairments in adolescence. //Pediatrics//, 130(4), 856–864 This article shows the implications of childhoood obesity and health, specifically metabolic syndromes that are becoming more prevalent in children.