Abstract
PurposeThis study analyzed the association between selected self-reported eating habits and perceived school performance in adolescents by gender.MethodsA cross-sectional analysis was conducted with data from a large representative sample of adolescents from 42 different countries. Participants answered questions about their weekly frequency of fruit, vegetable, sweets, and soft drink consumption, as well as the frequency of breakfast consumption and family meals. The adolescents subjectively rated their school performance compared to that of their classmates. Logistic regression models were adjusted for region, age, body mass index (z-score), socioeconomic status, physical activity, recreational screen time, and sleep difficulties.ResultsAmong the 46,455 (53.5% female, mean age of 13.7 ± 1.6 years) adolescents studied, 20.6% of males and 25.5% of females reported high perceived school performance. In the results of the fully adjusted analyses, the higher the frequency of all healthy eating habits studied, the higher the perceived school performance in both males and females. Specifically, both males and females reporting a higher frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption, a lower frequency of sweets and soft drink consumption, more frequent breakfast consumption, and more frequent family meals (breakfast and dinner) were more likely to perceive their school performance as higher compared to their classmates. In addition, having breakfast regularly on weekends and the frequency of family dinner were associated with better school performance in both males and females.ConclusionsIn summary, this study provide cross-sectional evidence on the association between healthy eating habits and perceived school performance. Considering that school performance is an indicator of healthy development in adolescence, our findings reinforce and extend the evidence on the importance of healthy eating at this stage of life.
Highlights
Adolescence is characterized by rapid physical, cognitive, and psychosocial growth, which affects how they deal with their own feelings, thoughts, decision-making processes, and interactions with the world around them [1]
Tapia-Serrano et al [22] found that adherence to the Mediterranean diet, which is characterized by frequent intake of a large number of healthy foods [e.g., vegetables and fruits [23]], was cross-sectionally associated with higher school performance in Spanish adolescents regardless of their nutritional status
Regarding regular consumption of family meals, we found an association between a higher frequency of family meals and higher perceived school performance
Summary
Adolescence is characterized by rapid physical, cognitive, and psychosocial growth, which affects how they deal with their own feelings, thoughts, decision-making processes, and interactions with the world around them [1]. Adolescence is a crucial phase for brain maturation, as myelination, synaptic pruning and several neural connections develop, in the prefrontal cortex [4, 5]. This brain maturation is accompanied by the emergence of increasingly sophisticated cognitive abilities, which, in turn, are bidirectionally associated with school performance [6]. Nutrition is one of the most modifiable aspects of lifestyle that can influence brain maturation and, cognition and school performance [7] In this regard, a previous longitudinal study conducted over a 3-year period showed that lifestyle habits (e.g., eating breakfast) were related to cognitive control and school performance in adolescents [8]. A systematic review showed moderate relationships of school performance with better overall diet quality, as well as with healthier eating habits, such as regular breakfast consumption and lower consumption of energy-dense foods and foods with poor nutritional value [9]
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