AN EXAMINATION OF THE EFFECT OF EATING HABIT ON PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
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ABSTRACT
This study investigates the impact of eating habits on the academic achievement of elementary school students in Edo State’s Ovia North East Local Government Area. One hundred kids from five (5) primary schools in Ovia north-east Local Government Area participated in the study.
For data collection, questionnaires were prepared, validated, and administered, and a basic percentage (%) statistical method was utilized for data analysis. The results of the study demonstrated that eating habits affect the academic performance of elementary school students and that parents play a crucial role in fostering healthy eating habits in their children.
On the basis of the findings, recommendations and conclusions were formulated, such as government and privately held schools should ensure that school food programs are effective and parents should be made aware of the dangers of feeding their children or wards an unbalanced diet.
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FIRST PART
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The phrase eating habit or (food habits) relates to how and why individuals eat, what they eat, and with whom, as well as how they get, store, consume, and dispose of food. Individual, social, religious, economic, political, and environmental factors all influence the eating habits of individuals.
It is a well-established truth that food is fundamentally required for humans to function successfully. It provides us with the essential nutrients we need to live and survive in this material world. A person’s eating habits facilitate work performance, especially for young students.
Our mental and physical capacities can be improved if we consume the proper quantity and quality of food. This can improve our health and reduce our risk of contracting certain diseases and conditions. However, there are individuals who are too busy working or engaging in other activities to pay as much attention to their health, particularly students who are preoccupied with schoolwork. These individuals have difficulty developing healthy eating habits.
Students who want a competitive advantage in their academic achievement may wish to consider their diet. While parents and educators have frequently given anecdotal evidence regarding the relationship between diet and academic performance, research reveals that these views are more than just urban legends. Good eating habits not only enhance physical health, but also academic success.
Dr. Paul J. Veugelers and his colleagues at the University of Alberta in Edmonton researched the relationship between excellent diet and academic achievement. They discovered that students who consume adequate amounts of fiber, veggies, protein, and fruits performed better in school.
According to Reuters, a university study on the relationship between test scores and nutrition suggests that dietary choices make pupils smarter during testing. The study takes into account characteristics such as parental income and educational institution in addition to the food consumed by students. Compared to their peers, students who did not consume enough healthful food performed the worst on tests.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is also responsible for the world’s largest school breakfast program. The school breakfast program (SBP) was included in the Child Nutrition Act of 1966. The initial intent of the legislation was to provide breakfast to students from low-income homes.
It was designed as a pilot program to offer meals for children in “poor communities where students had to travel a considerable distance to reach school” (Kennedy and Davis, 1998, pp. 798). By 1975, an amendment to the Child Nutrition Act made the SBP permanent, and Congress intended to expand the program to all schools in order to improve the health of school-aged children.
In later years, Congress decides to broaden the availability of the SBP; hence, the Child Nutrition Act was changed once more in 1989. The secretary of agriculture was subsequently required to give financing to states with schools that had a high proportion of children from low-income families and wished to implement the SBP (Kennedy and Davis, 1998).
Similar to the NSLP, the USDA subsidizes school breakfasts, with the amount depending on the size and income of the family. To qualify for the subsidy, a school must adhere to dietary criteria. The SBP aims to deliver a quarter of the recommended daily amount (RDA) for calories and specified nutrients. According to the School Nutrition Association’s current meal patterns, the SBP must provide the following daily: (SNA, 2008).
1 to 2 portions of grains or bread
Half of two ounces of meat or meat substitutes
Three-quarters of a cup’s worth of fruits and vegetables.
Eight ounce of milk
Proper diet is essential for optimizing brain function and maximizing learning. Assisting children in developing healthy eating habits at a young age will assist them in attaining their full potential.
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Despite the fact that the elementary, junior, and secondary school curricula include the subject (food and nutrition), radio and television programs have also educated parents and students on the importance of a balanced diet. Numerous cases of food-deficiency diseases and deaths attributable to malnutrition indicate that a significant proportion of them still do not know how to eat properly. Due to this nutritional health issue, a large number of elementary school students who would have become outstanding adults perished. According to Research Council (2007) and Myles (1993), poor nutrition also causes anemia, physical weakness, hazy eyesight, fainting, and declining academic performance. This study is to investigate the impact of eating or food habits on the academic performance of elementary school students.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
This research study will seek to respond to the following questions:
Does diet affect the academic achievement of students in the Ovia North Local Government Area?
Exists a correlation between students’ eating habits and their academic performance?
Can school-organized eating programs improve the nutritional diet of students in the Ovia North East Local Government Area?
Is there a correlation between parents’ roles and their children’s healthy eating habits?
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
This research paper’s objective is to:
Determine the impact of eating habits on students’ academic performance.
Examine whether there is a correlation between eating habits and academic performance.
Determine how school-organized meal programs can improve the nutritional diet of students.
Determine the association between parental involvement and the healthy eating habits of children.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY
This research paper focuses on healthy eating habits, a balanced diet, and the nutritional diseases that follow for the benefit of educational nutritionists. Health educators, dietitians, and home economics. In addition, to educate lit4rate parents on the dangers of providing unbalanced diets to their children or wards. In addition, to educate teachers of health education, integrated science, biology, and agricultural science on the feeding or eating habits, food preferences, and health issues associated with nutrient consumption among students. In addition, the curriculum for nutritional health education plans nutrient consumption.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Academic Performance refers to the grade a student receives for his or her academic or schoolwork. In addition, it is the result of education.
A brief recounting of an incident, frequently funny.
Dietary: To alter one’s food and beverage consumption in order to reduce or increase body weight or affect health.
A nutrient is a substance, such as food, that may be digested by an organism to provide energy and construct tissue.
Optimal Potentials: The most favorable or desirable attributes that, if cultivated, will result in future success or utility.
AN EXAMINATION OF THE EFFECT OF EATING HABIT ON PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
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