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The apples of academic performance: associations between dietary patterns and academic performance in Australian children
In this cross-sectional study by Pearce et al. (2018), the authors investigated whether a link exists between dietary habits and the academic performance of school children. A sample of 315 students (9-11 years old, attending 26 schools) had their academic performance assessed in 4 domains (writing, numeracy, reading and language: punctuation, spelling and grammar) via the National Assessment Program in Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN), while a self-reported child questionnaire was used to examine dietary consumption. Two patterns of dietary behavior were identified: a “core” healthy pattern, and a “noncore” unhealthy pattern. Students who fell under the noncore pattern were found to have lower NAPLAN scores in all academic domains (except for writing), compared to students who fell under the core pattern. This relationship remained statistically significant after adjusting for variables like body mass index, sex, ethnicity, household income, parental education, number of siblings, marital status and how many hours mothers worked. The authors conclude that a high-calorie diet with low levels of nutrition leads to a negative impact on academic performance. [NPID: Academic performance, diet, nutritious, school, unhealthy]
Year: 2018
