Lack of Food on Students’ Learning and Health

The scholarly research findings summarized in this document provide our nation with a comprehensive picture of the exceptional value of the school breakfast program. The study found that children from homes without sufficient food have a poorer overall health status than do children from similar backgrounds who have enough to eat. Children who experience hunger get sick more often, are more likely to have ear infections, experience iron deficiency anemia and get hospitalized more frequently. They miss more days of school and are far less likely to be able to learn when they do attend classes. When children fail to get sufficient dietary energy, particularly in the mornings, their cognitive capacity is impaired: their brains do not have sufficient fuel for attention, concentration and learning. This interactive relationship between sufficient nourishment and brain function also extends to the emotional and behavioral health of children. Youngsters who do not get enough to eat have poorer mental health; they are more likely to be withdrawn and inattentive. They also exhibit more disruptive behaviors and disciplinary disorders, require more counseling and other mental health services, and are more likely to need other special educational services.

Brown, J. L., Beardslee, W. H., & Prothrow-Stith, D. (2008). Impact of school breakfast on children’s health and learning: An analysis of the scientific research. United States: Sodexo Foundation. http://us.stop-hunger.org/files/live/sites/stophunger-us/files/HungerPdf/Impact%20of%20School%20Breakfast%20Study_tcm150-212606.pdf

Nutrition and achievement study

Good nutrition linked to better test performance
Learners with access to a more nutritious diet in early childhood may score higher on intellectual tests in adulthood, notwithstanding how much education they receive overall, according to new data. The findings "suggest an effect of exposure to an enhanced nutritional intervention in early life that is independent of any effect of schooling," the study's authors conclude.
Aryeh D. Stein; Meng Wang; Ann DiGirolamo; Ruben Grajeda; Usha Ramakrishnan; Manuel Ramirez-Zea; Kathryn Yount; Reynaldo Martorell. Nutritional Supplementation in Early Childhood, Schooling, and Intellectual Functioning in Adulthood: A Prospective Study in Guatemala. Archives ofPediatriatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 2008;162(7):612-618

Nutrition and reading study

Healthful diets tied to success on reading exams
Canadian students who ate more fruits and vegetables and less fat were far less likely to fail a reading test, according to a study of 5,000 fifth-graders. "Above and beyond socioeconomic factors, diet quality is important to academic performance," the researchers concluded.
Michelle D. Florence, M., Asbridge, M., & Veugelers, P. (2008). Diet Quality and Academic Performance. Journal of School Health, 78(4), 209-215.

School beverage study

Report: Students drink less sugary soda under new national guidelines
About 45% fewer full-calorie soft drinks were shipped to U.S. schools in the 2006-07 school year vs. 2004, following implementation of new nutritional guidelines last year, the American Beverage Association said. The average high school student drank an average 5.9 ounces of regular soda per week, compared to about 12.5 ounces in 2004.
FoodNavigator (9/20/2007)