Poor nutrition hampers academic success. For instance, one study of fourth-graders found that kids with low amounts of protein in their diets had the lowest test scores. Meanwhile, another study found that iron deficiency causes a short attention span, irritability, difficulty concentrating and loss of energy. As a result, kids who are anemic tend to have lower vocabulary and reading scores. Finally, children who suffer from poor nutrition during the brain's most formative years also have less general knowledge and lower test scores. Simply improving a child's breakfast can go a long way. A healthy breakfast either at home or at school will improve grades, help with behavior issues and decrease absenteeism.
Research also has found a link between weight issues and academic achievement. According to Action for Healthy Kids, 9 million school-age children and adolescents are overweight. This figure is three times larger than it was in 1980 and continues to rise. This persistent rise in obesity has been linked to the country's declining academic performance. And studies show that a child's health and overall well-being is a strong predictor for future health. Consequently, obesity not only affects health, but can impact future success as well.
Hunger also plays a part in academic achievement. For instance, 6- to 11-year-olds from families without enough food were more likely to have repeated a grade and had very low test scores. Hungry children also have more behavioral and emotional problems. Even healthy, well-nourished children can be affected by the lack of food. Going without breakfast affects a child's speed and accuracy in problem-solving. Furthermore, hunger and obesity are often related. In fact, poor families who do not have enough money to purchase nutritious food can struggle with weight issues. They must stretch their food dollars as far as possible. Often, it's cheaper to buy less nutritious, high-calorie food than it is to buy nutritious items like fruits and vegetables.
Aside from lower test scores, poor nutrition also costs the educational system money. One study found that overweight students miss about one day per month of school. Just one absence can cost a school district $9 to $20. Schools also spend a lot of money helping students whose academic performance is suffering. As a result, teaching healthy eating habits and offering nutritious foods will save money in the long run.
Ensuring that kids' nutritional needs are met and that they are not hungry improves overall academic performance and combats obesity. School breakfast programs help accomplish these goals. For instance, low-income girls who received a school breakfast were less likely to be overweight. Schools that provide all students with a free breakfast have larger positive changes in academic performance. Furthermore, children who eat breakfast take in more nutrients than children who do not eat breakfast. Breakfast also affects cognitive function, attention and memory and increases a child's performance on standardized tests.
"What we find particularly exciting is that...[school breakfast] is a relatively simple intervention that can significantly improve children's academic performance and psychological well-being," says J. Michael Murphy, Ed.D., school breakfast researcher for Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.