:: Volume 8, Issue 2 (Apr-Jun 2021) ::
Nutr Food Health Dis 2021, 8(2): 27-33 Back to browse issues page
Associations between Diet Quality, Weight Status and Academic Performance in Senior High-School Students in Tehran
Mohammad Reza Mazandaranian , Nasrin Omidvar * , Hassan Eini-zeinab , Azam Doustmohammadian , Marziye Ashoori , Behnaz Abdar-Esfahni , Omid Hosseini-Mousavi
Department of Community Nutrition, National Nutrition, and Food Technology Research Institute, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Tehran, Iran. , omidvar.nasrin@gmail.com
Abstract:   (5550 Views)
Background and Objectives: To study associations in diet quality academic performance and weight status in urban adolescent high-school students.
Materials and Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study in high schools in Tehran, Iran. A total of 629 students (317 boys and 309 girls), aging 17–19 years, from 49 high schools participated in the study. Dietary intake was measured using two 24-h recalls. Diet quality was measured using Healthy Eating Index-2015. Academic performance was assessed by evaluating scores achieved in national exams at the end of high-school junior year. Standard anthropometric measurements were used. Linear and multinomial regressions were used to assess the associations between weight status, diet quality and academic performance.
Results: Student’s scores in grammar and literature were significantly associated to diet quality (p < 0.05). After adjusting for sex and other socioeconomic confounders, the association was non-significant. Significant differences were seen in weight status between boys and girls; however, such differences were not based on the prosperity levels in weight statuses. The overall frequency of overweight was nearly 24%, while obesity was twice in boys (nearly 26%), compared to girls.
Conclusions: Findings verify needs of policies to improve student diet quality, leading to better health and educational achievements. Further studies are needed to investigate associations between diet quality and academic performance.
Keywords: Diet quality, Weight status, Academic performance, Adolescents
Full-Text [PDF 598 kb]   (1830 Downloads)    
Article type: Research | Subject: Nutrition
Received: 2020/09/15 | Accepted: 2020/09/30 | Published: 2021/04/7
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