:: Volume 8, Issue 2 (Apr-Jun 2021) ::
Nutr Food Sci Res 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:   (2144 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]   (851 Downloads)    
Article type: Research | Subject: Nutrition
Received: 2020/09/15 | Accepted: 2020/09/30 | Published: 2021/04/7
References
1. Rampersaud GC, Pereira MA, Girard BL, Adams J, Metzl JD. Breakfast habits, nutritional status, body weight, and academic performance in children and adolescents. Journal of the american dietetic association. 2005;105(5):743-60. [DOI:10.1016/j.jada.2005.02.007]
2. Otaegui-Arrazola A, Amiano P, Elbusto A, Urdaneta E, Martinez-Lage P. Diet, cognition, and Alzheimer's disease: food for thought. Eur J Nutr. 2014;53(1):1-23. [DOI:10.1007/s00394-013-0561-3]
3. Benton D. The influence of children's diet on their cognition and behavior. Eur J Nutr. 2008;47 Suppl 3:25-37. [DOI:10.1007/s00394-008-3003-x]
4. Kim SY, Sim S, Park B, Kong IG, Kim JH, Choi HG. Dietary Habits Are Associated With School Performance in Adolescents. Medicine (Baltimore). 2016;95(12):e3096. [DOI:10.1097/MD.0000000000003096]
5. Burrows T, Goldman S, Pursey K, Lim R. Is there an association between dietary intake and academic achievement: a systematic review. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2017;30(2):117-40. [DOI:10.1111/jhn.12407]
6. Tayebi S, Pourabbasi A, Shirvani ME. The effects of dietary habits on Iranian students' school performance, a pilot cross-sectional study. J Pak Med Assoc. 2014;64(1):20-3.
7. Correa-Burrows P, Burrows R, Blanco E, Reyes M, Gahagan S. Nutritional quality of diet and academic performance in Chilean students. Bull World Health Organ. 2016;94(3):185-92. [DOI:10.2471/BLT.15.161315]
8. Esteban-Cornejo I, Izquierdo-Gomez R, Gomez-Martinez S, Padilla-Moledo C, Castro-Pinero J, Marcos A, et al. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and academic performance in youth: the UP&DOWN study. Eur J Nutr. 2016;55(3):1133-40. [DOI:10.1007/s00394-015-0927-9]
9. Florence MD, Asbridge M, Veugelers PJ. Diet quality and academic performance. J Sch Health. 2008;78(4):209-15; quiz 39-41. [DOI:10.1111/j.1746-1561.2008.00288.x]
10. Mirmiran P, Azadbakht L, Azizi F. Dietary quality-adherence to the dietary guidelines in Tehranian adolescents: Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study. Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2005;75(3):195-200. [DOI:10.1024/0300-9831.75.3.195]
11. Kristjansson AL, Sigfusdottir ID, Allegrante JP. Health behavior and academic achievement among adolescents: the relative contribution of dietary habits, physical activity, body mass index, and self-esteem. Health Educ Behav. 2010;37(1):51-64. [DOI:10.1177/1090198107313481]
12. Beltran-Valls MR, Adelantado-Renau M, Castro-Pinero J, Sanchez-Lopez M, Moliner-Urdiales D. Cardiorespiratory fitness and academic performance association is mediated by weight status in adolescents: DADOS study. Eur J Pediatr. 2018;177(7):1037-43. [DOI:10.1007/s00431-018-3159-1]
13. Faught EL, Ekwaru JP, Gleddie D, Storey KE, Asbridge M, Veugelers PJ. The combined impact of diet, physical activity, sleep and screen time on academic achievement: a prospective study of elementary school students in Nova Scotia, Canada. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2017;14(1):29. [DOI:10.1186/s12966-017-0476-0]
14. Reedy J, Lerman JL, Krebs-Smith SM, Kirkpatrick SI, Pannucci TE, Wilson MM, et al. Evaluation of the Healthy Eating Index-2015. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2018;118(9):1622-33. [DOI:10.1016/j.jand.2018.05.019]
15. Nyaradi A, Li J, Foster JK, Hickling S, Jacques A, O'Sullivan TA, et al. Good-quality diet in the early years may have a positive effect on academic achievement. Acta Paediatr. 2016;105(5):e209-18. [DOI:10.1111/apa.13324]
16. Kelishadi R, Qorbani M, Motlagh ME, Heshmat R, Ardalan G, Bahreynian M. Association of eating frequency with anthropometric indices and blood pressure in children and adolescents: the CASPIAN-IV Study. J Pediatr (Rio J). 2016;92(2):156-67. [DOI:10.1016/j.jped.2015.05.009]
17. McCrory MA, McCrory MA, Hajduk CL, Roberts SB. Procedures for screening out inaccurate reports of dietary energy intake. Public Health Nutr. 2002;5(6a):873-82. [DOI:10.1079/PHN2002387]
18. Pearce K, Golley R, Lewis L, Cassidy L, Olds T, Maher C. The Apples of Academic Performance: Associations Between Dietary Patterns and Academic Performance in Australian Children. J Sch Health. 2018;88(6):444-52. [DOI:10.1111/josh.12631]
19. Molteni R, Barnard RJ, Ying Z, Roberts CK, Gomez-Pinilla F. A high-fat, refined sugar diet reduces hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor, neuronal plasticity, and learning. Neuroscience. 2002;112(4):803-14. [DOI:10.1016/S0306-4522(02)00123-9]
20. Wu A, Ying Z, Gomez-Pinilla F. The interplay between oxidative stress and brain-derived neurotrophic factor modulates the outcome of a saturated fat diet on synaptic plasticity and cognition. Eur J Neurosci. 2004;19(7):1699-707. [DOI:10.1111/j.1460-9568.2004.03246.x]
21. Adelantado-Renau M, Beltran-Valls MR. The influence of adherence to the Mediterranean diet on academic performance is mediated by sleep quality in adolescents. 2019;108(2):339-46. [DOI:10.1111/apa.14472]
22. Kenney EL, Redman MT, Criss S, Sonneville KR, Austin SB. Are K-12 school environments harming students with obesity? A qualitative study of classroom teachers. Eat Weight Disord. 2017;22(1):141-52. [DOI:10.1007/s40519-016-0268-6]
23. Miller AL, Lee HJ, Lumeng JC. Obesity-associated biomarkers and executive function in children. Pediatr Res. 2015;77(1-2):143-7. [DOI:10.1038/pr.2014.158]
24. Morrison CD. Leptin signaling in brain: A link between nutrition and cognition? Biochim Biophys Acta. 2009;1792(5):401-8. [DOI:10.1016/j.bbadis.2008.12.004]
25. Carlini VP, Ghersi M, Schioth HB, de Barioglio SR. Ghrelin and memory: differential effects on acquisition and retrieval. Peptides. 2010;31(6):1190-3. [DOI:10.1016/j.peptides.2010.02.021]

XML     Print

Rights and permissions
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Volume 8, Issue 2 (Apr-Jun 2021) Back to browse issues page