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Is there an association between dietary intake and academic achievement: a systematic review
Burrows and colleagues (2017) combed through seven databases to provide a systematic review of the current literature on the effects of dietary intake and behaviors on the academic achievement of school-aged children. Of the forty studies included, 33 were of cross-sectional design and involved children over the age of 10, with very few reports of younger age groups. In addition, 30 different dietary assessments were used across the studies, with only 40% using a validated or standardised assessment method. With regards to outcomes of academic achievement, half was collected objectively from a recognised educational authority, whereas 10 studies used self-reported measures. The dietary outcomes most commonly reported to have positive associations with academic achievement were: breakfast consumption (n = 12) and global diet quality/meal patterns (n = 7), whereas negative associations reported with junk/fast food (n = 9). Looking at the current literature, the reviewers conclude that moderate associations exist for dietary intakes characterised by regular breakfast consumption, lower intake of energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods and overall diet quality with respect to outcomes of academic achievement, and that utilisation of validated dietary assessment methods and standardised reporting of academic achievement should be considered by future studies. [NPID: performance, academic achievement, scholastic performance, school-ages children, breakfast, meal patterns, junk food, diet quality]
Year: 2017
